


The Rise of Loki, God of Mischief

by LilweenGalatrass



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Adventure, Angst, F/M, Family, Hurt/Comfort, Multi, Pre-Thor (2011), Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-04-08 20:16:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 89,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4318473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilweenGalatrass/pseuds/LilweenGalatrass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With the threat of a new war against the Jotunheim, Loki is the only one who can help and save Asgard and he is willing to do anything to prove to his father that he is a worthy son, equal to his brother. The threads of Fate being pulled, unexpected events turned the Prince into who he really is: the God of Mischief. (Sets before Thor 1)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_Hi! I'm new on AO3, so I'm a little lost, but here is my fanfiction from the Marvel universe, the movie Thor but, it's kind of particular considering it's centered around Loki and that it happens some time (some centuries?) before the events of the first Thor movie._

_I_ _'ve heard about people (and me) wanting a Loki movie and a lot of people would want to see what happened between Thor 1 and Avengers 1 from Loki's point of view but I don't think it's a good idea; Loki wouldn't be a hero and there isn't much surprise about how it will end. And so, I thought "What kind of movie could Loki have?" And then "But what kind of adventure did he have with Thor before? And what kind of adventure would he have on his own?" And so... Heree it is! :D_

_Now, the Loki I wrote about is a Loki - despite being mischievous, King of Lies and magic - who is still hopeful and kind of innocent in some ways. Which is why sometimes, he might seem OOC and I apologize for that if you want an angry Loki like we saw in the movies - it won't be the case here. Not before the end at least. And as the title says "Rise of Loki" because the adventure it talks about is the adventure on how Loki got his hopes and innocence broken and became the angry god willing to ruin his brother's big day._

_I'll add that I'll use a LOT of Norse mythology references BUT trying to adapt it to the Marvel Universe. So, some things might be wrong according to Marvel, and wrong according to the myths too. But I'm trying to be as true as possible. Every time I will use a Norse term, deity or other (except the ones we know already from the movies) I'll explain it all at the end (or the beginning if it's necessary for the chapter to be understood)_

_Now! Enjoy~_

* * *

 

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER I : Prologue

_ Asgard _

Loki was reading a book, sitting on the solid branch of a tree, his back against the trunk. He had taken the habit of reading his books in trees, meadows, or anywhere out of the palace where his brother wouldn't find him. Thor had decided that it was necessary for Loki as a 'grown attractive man' to go and seduce all the maidens of Asgard. Meanwhile, although the mischievous god didn't complain about joining his brother, the Warriors Three and Sif every once in a while for a drink and to relax, he much preferred the company of his books. And he wouldn't admit it, but he didn't want to have another lady clinging onto him for hours and asking him questions about how muscular Thor really was, how much weight he could lift up, how much beer he could drink, if he had any maiden in view for marriage...

Loki was used to the attention of the whole of Asgard turned to his bright big brother, but it didn't mean that he appreciated women coming to him in order to get closer to his brother, their family’s riches, and the crown.

But he was used to that, after all.

Suddenly, his reading was interrupted by an alarm coming from the fortress. The watery green eyes glanced up, his lips opening slightly when he heard distant screams from the guards.

Without losing any more time, he closed his book and leapt down from the tree, landing perfectly on the ground before running towards the fortress, his thoughts all turned towards his family.

His family was everything he had, after all.


	2. Betrayal

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER II : Betrayal

When he arrived at the palace, he ignored the running maidens and the guards screaming orders and ran straight for his mother's apartments. He trusted his father and brother to deal well enough on their own if they were under attack; and although Frigga was far from being powerless, he didn't like leaving her alone in case the guards were defeated.

But when he arrived, the fun was already over. He only found guards taking away the bodies of several women. He blinked, a little surprised to see that they were his mother's maids.

"Prince!" one of the guards exclaimed when he noticed Loki.

"What happened?" he asked, frowning at the dead women being carried away.

"Spies attacked the Queen and your brother, my Prince," he answered immediately.

Loki felt a feeling of dread in his heart, and he pushed away the guard to enter his mother's apartments. He saw his family gathered in a circle, while the last of the maids was being taken away.

"Loki!" Frigga exclaimed when she saw him, running to him.

She took him in her arms, even though he was much taller than her, and they hugged each other tightly.

"I was so scared something had happened to you, Loki!" she exclaimed before pulling away, staring at him. "When the guards said they had no idea where you were, I thought the spies had attacked you too!"

"I'm fine mother, but what of you? What happened?" he asked, looking up at his father and brother.

"You missed the fun of the battle, brother!" Thor exclaimed, Mjollnir in his hands still sparkling, showing he had had his part of 'the fun'.

"What happened?" Loki asked again, not caring if he sounded annoyed.

"Spies. They were Frigga's maids and her students in magic for years, some even centuries," Odin answered, his voice hard.

Loki suddenly couldn’t breathe. He had known some of those women since he was a child: he had trained his magic with them and their daughters... To think they had been spies for so long...

"Are you sure?" he asked in disbelief.

"They attacked Frigga." Odin said, as if it explained everything when, really, it only left heavy questions in his youngest son's mind.

"But—" he started, taking a step forward.

He saw an angered vein of his father’s pulsing as he glared at him for asking so many questions. He obviously hadn't appreciated as much as Loki and Thor that their Queen had been in danger because of her chosen and most trusted maids.

"I have as many questions as you, Loki; but the facts are here..." his mother said, putting a comforting hand on his arm.

"I want to know what happened!" Loki exclaimed.

"Enough! I need to discuss with my advisors!" Odin exclaimed, walking angrily out of the room.

Frigga pursued her lips together in worry before glancing at her sons.

"He was scared for me, understand him. He feels betrayed," she murmured.

Loki clicked his tongue, frowning. He wanted to understand his father, but he wanted to understand what had happened as well. If his mother was in danger...

"Those women were spies trained in magic by me; they were spying for the Mountain Giants of Jotunheim," she muttered, her voice trembling slightly at the realisation she had such close friends betraying her.

"Those Giants once again!" Thor hissed, frowning and furious.

He was almost sparking in a rage to fit his hammer, but Loki thought with a cooler head and turned towards his mother.

"Why would they betray you after all these years?" he asked in disbelief.

He remembered some of them giving him cakes in secret during feasts or terribly long ceremonies as a child. They had smiled at him so tenderly, had been so kind to his mother, he couldn't believe such a thing could happen...

"That’s it, Loki, they waited for all of us to truly trust them before attacking me. If it wasn't for the guards and your brother..."

Frigga, now that all the guards were gone, let her regal mask drop and shivered in fear. Her two sons frowned immediately, furious their mother had been endangered by people so close to her.

"Who can we trust now?" Loki asked with a low hissing voice.

"Losing trust in everyone isn't going to help: it will only increase the doubts and fear in everyone's hearts. And if we were to go to war with the Mountain Giants... we'd need our people's trust more than ever," Frigga said, her blue eyes staring at him.

He swallowed, knowing she was right, but he couldn't bear the thought of his dear mother, the most important being he had, in danger, injured or… _worse_...

"They deserve war!" Thor exclaimed, throwing his fist against a table.

Loki noticed the broken vase and shattered flowers on the ground. Just a few hours ago, the flowers were on that very table and his mother's maids were tidying up her room and preparing her for the day. How could everything he always thought of as comforting and peaceful turn into disaster and the threat of a war? It had happened so quickly…

"Thor, war isn't always the solution," Frigga replied, her hands moving worriedly.

"It is when we are threatened! If they infiltrated the palace as closely as you, how many of those traitors are among us?!" Thor boomed, looking terrible.

Loki couldn't agree more with his brother, but the betrayal of some didn't mean everyone was to blame.

"Perhaps the Mountain Giants' King, Fornjótr, knows nothing of this?" he proposed, almost hopefully.

"Who could be behind all this, then?" Thor asked, looking at his brother in astonishment.

"It could be a smaller group of rebels. The peace with King Fornjótr has been stable for centuries now," Frigga proposed, wanting to believe her younger son was right.

"Centuries during which they spied on us and earned our trust!" Thor replied, his stormy blue eyes almost throwing lightning.

Frigga sighed and glanced at Loki who kept his lips thin in worry.

"Let's go see father!" Thor exclaimed suddenly, already storming out of the room.

"Brother—" Loki started, sighing, and feeling a headache at how this whole situation was spiralling out of control.

He followed Thor closely, their mother alongside them. They quickly arrived at their father's quarters, finding Týr, Heimdall and a few other gods they could trust, at least, _hoped_ they could trust…

"And this is why—"

Tyr's voice was interrupted by the arrival of the rest of the family members and he hesitated. Odin opened his lips to ask him to continue but Thor beat him to it: "Father! We need to call a war against the Mountain Giants!" he exclaimed, thumping his fist on the table.

The maps jumped and one of the goblets fell. Tyr quickly pulled it up to avoid more wine spilling on the maps, but a huge burgundy pool was already tainting the territory of the Mountain Giants.

Loki glanced worriedly at the sparks of tense electricity rising between father and son as they glared at each other, one furious to be given orders by his son and the other not understanding how he could be wrong in all this.

For a moment of intense silence, no sound could be heard, the King and his heir facing each other without failing. Thor sure had the stubbornness of their father many times over. Slowly, Odin opened his lips to speak, his voice hard.

"A true King never-"

"Seeks war, I _know_!" Thor interrupted, driving their father even further into anger if it was possible. "But you always said we have to be ready for it and here it is! The Mountain Giants have declared war on us!" he shrieked, fist striking the table another time, making the pool of wine spread a little more.

"SILENCE!" Odin yelled.

Even Thor was startled by the cold and furious tone of his voice. Odin glared at Thor so menacingly that he took a step backwards, as did everyone else in the room—only Frigga had the strength to stay in her position without faltering. The advisors glanced at each other worriedly, paling at the tone the All-Father had just taken, while Thor finally looked down in shame for raising his voice.

"Silence…" Odin repeated in a hiss.

He then turned towards the map, putting a clenched fist against the table, adding pressure to it.

"As the King, _I_ will make the decisions. _You_ may be my heir, but you have a lot to learn yet. Is that understood?" he asked in a voice that didn’t leave any option other than agreement.

The King of Asgard was so furious, so powerful that even as his sons, the brothers had a hard time not falling on their knees and bowing down as low as possible.

"Is that understood?" he asked again, his one eye throwing knives at Thor, who swallowed hard.

"…Yes… Father…" he mumbled, his pride hurt.

Loki felt bad for his brother and swallowed too. Granted, the eldest had raised his voice too much to the All Father, but they were only worried about their mother's safety and a possible war. Thor didn't mean any harm; he was trying to help, but he had been yelled at so furiously that it was hard not to shiver at the thought of what the All-Father would have done if Thor wasn't his son.

"Frigga will have new maids with their whole history and past checked. Guards will stay with her every hour of the day and night to assure her protection," he started.

The two sons glanced up at their majestic, yet terrifying, father.

"And as for the Mountain Giants…"

He frowned before continuing, no one daring to reply, or even breathe.

"Messages will be sent to King Fornjótr, as well as to our own spies, to make sure he tells the truth. We need to find out whether or not the King is responsible for this treachery or if these are the actions of a few."

He turned back towards the map, giving a sharp shake of his hand.

"You may be dismissed," he said with a tone that didn't leave a choice.

The military advisors didn't wait a single second and executed the order. Loki and Frigga hesitated, glancing at Thor who kept staring at his father, his expression hurt.

He finally turned around and escaped the room, head down, jaw and fists clenched tightly.

"I will speak to your father, go with your brother. He needs you," Frigga said in a low voice after getting out of the room.

Loki gave a short nod before going to his brother's apartments. He ignored the guards; he simply walked by them and pushed the door open. He heard his brother before seeing him.

He saw something being thrown across the room and the green-eyed young man froze, hearing the heavy sound of an axe hitting the opposite wall. He stared at the weapon, still vibrating, before hearing the crash of a vase. He sighed lightly before closing the door behind him and entering the room.

"You should not be here, brother!" Thor yelled, turning his muscular back to him.

Loki didn’t say a thing and slowly walked in the midst of the broken furniture and weapons.

"I don't want to hurt you..." the blond-haired god added with a shaking voice.

Loki froze in mid-step, blinking at his brother before grinning, a warmth spreading in his body. He put a hand on the muscular shoulder, squeezing as tightly and as comfortingly as he could.

"You won't; you're my brother," he said with a smile.

Thor glanced quickly at him before staring at the ground once again, his anger and hurt still obvious, but he had calmed down enough to talk.

"Will—" he started, his voice breaking before he forced himself to talk again. "Will I ever be worthy of our father?" he asked with a rocky voice.

Loki froze, a cold feeling invading his heart, but he quickly shook it away, focusing on his brother.

"What do you mean?" he asked, but he barely heard his own voice.

"Our father…” Thor started.

He sighed and turned around, staring down at his opened hands, looking almost fragile and insecure despite his massive height.

"Our father is so bright, such a good father and a wise King. Will I ever be able to be as great and wise as him?" he asked, his voice hesitant.

Loki was shocked. It wasn't the first time he had seen his brother scared and insecure about the weight upon his shoulders over succeeding their father—but he was always hiding it deep in his heart: he never showed it to anyone and if Loki knew, it was merely because he knew his brother better than anyone and observed him, hidden in the darkness when the Thunderer thought he was alone...

But most of all, he was shocked to feel anger blocking his throat. He was his brother, he knew how scared Thor was about staying in the shadow of their father, but he couldn't help but feel like yelling at his older brother. Yelling for all the torment and the same feeling of unworthiness hefted on him since their childhood…

Loki shook his head, frowning at himself. This was his family, he couldn't feel like that. It wasn't right to be jealous.

He searched for the right words when he saw in the blue eyes how tormented Thor really was.

"No need for you to be a King as great as him, as long as you remain a good man," Loki said, putting a reassuring hand on his brother's arm once again.

The blue eyes glanced up hesitantly to stare at the green ones. Loki smiled and Thor couldn't help but feel his heart lighten at seeing the sparkling, reassuring eyes of his brother. Even if no more words escaped their lips, their gazes said it all, sealing the silent promise to always be for each other no matter what.

Thor lifted up his chin, smiling and taking a deep breath. He felt much more confident with his brother by his side, even if his gaze was still slightly shaky with fears and insecurities.

"Thank you, brother," he murmured.

Loki tapped his bicep, grinning before Thor threw a heavy arm around his shoulder, drawing him closer.

"Come, Loki! I say we need a drink!" he exclaimed.

"Are you sure?"

"If father believes mother to be safe, then I trust him! He knows the kingdom and the principles of ruling it better than us!"

He started to drag his little brother, who still hesitated, but another warm tap from Thor reassured him one last time.

"One day it will be us, which is why we need to have fun now!"

He laughed and Loki smiled, his heart warming.

"Us…" he repeated in a breath, so low that Thor didn't hear him.

* * *

_NEXT CHAPTER : CHANCE_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	3. Chance

_There are a few references and vocabulary from the Norse mythology in this chapter, it shouldn't be too complicated but still, in case of, some don't know the Vanir (Vanr for singular) it's the people living in Vanaheim, another world with gods. And they are very skill in magic, it's said they taught it to Odin himself. The other references will be explained at the end of the chapter! :)_

* * *

 FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER III : Chance

_[Queen Frigga is attacked by spies that pretended to be her maids for centuries. After reinforcements in the protection of the fortress and an argument with Thor, Odin decides to wait before taking a decision concerning this new threat. Loki reassures his brother to help him feel better before they go to a tavern.]_

Loki huffed at the weight of his brother leaning against him, half-drunk from the beer he had consumed in far too great a quantity. He grunted, moving his shoulder to make sure his laughing drunk brother wouldn’t fall head first in the mud. It had happened a few times before, and Odin was never happy to learn the next day that the Prince of Asgard, and Heir to the Throne, had fallen drunk onto the ground.

“You really need to start a diet, Thor…” Loki grumbled, holding his brother closely.

He was answered only with a laugh, Thor’s half-lidded eyes glancing up at the stars while his hand tightened around Loki’s shoulder when he almost overbalanced.

“And you really need to start exercising, Loki: your lack of muscles is...”

He stopped, hitting his finger in his brother’s chest. He blinked before hitting another time, making the youngest roll his eyes.

“You’re harder than I thought you’d be,” he noticed, frowning lightly in full concentration.

“I do hope no one heard _that_. Hurry, mother might worry if we don’t come back soon,” he said, pulling at his brother’s arm.

The fresh air and the walk managed to get Thor back to some sort of consciousness, able to stagger on his own, his brows still furrowed as he kept asking his little brother questions.

“Did you work out without me? I know you trained and mastered weapons in your childhood, but…”

“We trained together, Thor. Surely you aren’t drunk enough to have forgotten? How you always beat me and I’d end up eating the sand?” Loki started, raising an eyebrow.

Thor seemed to think a little before laughing and nodding.

“Yes! Yes I remember!” he exclaimed before catching up with the dark haired man. “But the sand probably wasn’t really tasty…”

“It wasn’t indeed.”

“That’s why you’re so frail and skinny! You need to eat more, Loki!” he exclaimed, hitting his brother on the shoulder so hard Loki almost fell over.

The green-eyed man shook his head lightly, sighing and barely holding back a smile at Thor’s drunken version of himself, still protective despite all.

After a few more minutes, there were less and less people on the path as they came closer to the Palace, and while the blond-haired man kept having a conversation with himself about how sand wasn’t a good thing to eat when you were strengthening muscles, Loki froze. He frowned and turned around, scanning the darkness, but he didn’t see a thing. Thor turned as well and noticed his worried expression.

“Loki?” he called.

“Nothing,” he answered, catching up with his older brother.

But then Thor slipped on a mud pool with a yelp. Loki would have sighed and helped him up if he hadn’t suddenly seen an arrow flying with a hiss right where Thor’s head had been a moment ago.

“Thor!” he exclaimed, forcing his brother to the ground and mud once again.

Despite the alcohol in his blood, the warrior blinked and glanced behind him, his senses alert once again – as much as they could be, at least.

“Who dares threaten the sons of Odin?!” he yelled at the darkness, getting up and glaring at the emptiness in front of them.

Even with his dagger and Thor’s sword unsheathed, they couldn’t fight someone they couldn’t see. But their attacker could be taken by surprise too.

Using his magic, Loki kept an illusion of himself standing next to Thor and slipped away, invisible, towards the trees where the arrow had come from. He heard a shuffling sound, and lifted up his arm just in time to block another arrow from reaching Thor before letting it fall to the ground. The latter blinked and glanced quickly at the illusion of Loki by his side before understanding what he had done.

“Show yourself you coward and fight like a man!” he yelled, the tip of his sword shining dangerously under the pale light of the moon hidden by clouds.

Loki approached the trees and frowned, noticing some magic in the air. He didn’t have time to use any tricks as the sensation of magic disappeared and he realized that it had been an illusion. He turned around, casting a dozen of himself to confuse his opponent, but he was projected backwards by a violent hit in the torso. He fell through his first illusion, into the mud, and all the mirages disappeared in a shimmer of green light.

Loki grumbled, getting up while his brother glanced at him. They saw movement in the darkness and the fallen god quickly regained his feet, throwing his dagger efficiently. He heard a gasp and the sound of his weapon hitting flesh and stopping its course in the trunk of a tree, probably injuring or harrowing the person who had dared attacked them. He took a step forward to go after the now vulnerable attacker when he heard a hissing sound coming towards him.

“Loki!” Thor yelled.

He pushed his little brother out of the way, and while Loki hit the ground with a yelp and the cold mud started seeping through his clothes, he saw Thor yelling and throwing his sword at their anonymous assailant. He heard the sword flying through the air, then hitting a trunk.

“Who’s there?”

They heard the voice of an approaching Einherjar, but before either of them could respond they heard some more muffling through the bushes as their opponent ran away; they could see the golden armour of the guards glinting as they came near.

“Ahah! He ran away! What a coward, he is nowhere near as strong as the sons of Odin!” Thor exclaimed, punching the air, feverish from both the alcohol and the fight.

Loki got up, opening his lips to thank his brother, when the latter winced and frowned. They both glanced down at the same time and Loki’s heart missed a beat when he saw a dagger meant for him in his brother’s flank. His dark grey top was turning dark as the blood gushed out of the injury.

Thor’s fingers grabbed the dagger and pulled it out, dropping it to the ground where it landed with a splashing sound. For a moment, only silence reigned, Loki too scared to say anything; but when his brother’s knees almost dropped him, he jumped and caught him in time.

“Thor! Y-you’re injured! You’re bleeding!” he exclaimed, wondering why such a little dagger could possibly make him so weak so quickly.

At hearing their Prince’s voice, the two Einherjar had run to them, completely astonished to see the two of them sitting in the mud, the heir looking about to pass out and his younger brother completely panicked.

“G-guards! Guards!” Loki called, sounding almost desperate as they reached them. “My brother! He’s injured!” he exclaimed.

Quickly understanding the situation, they leaned down and grabbed the heir, lifting him up with much difficulty, to take him to the Healing Room as fast as possible.

“Poison,” Thor grunted through his teeth, his eyes growing cloudy.

“Hang in there, Thor!” Loki exclaimed, closely following the guards.

He could hear the panicked beating of his heart in his ears, his blood pulsing frantically as he kept glancing at his moaning brother. He had talked about poison, which would explain why the injury wasn’t closing and why he was so weak.

Loki looked up, trying not to show any of his panic to the guards and servants who were running everywhere in a frenzy.

After pacing for long minutes in front of the Healing Room’s door, the god glanced up for what felt like the thousandth time, hoping the door would open and they would announce that his brother was well.

“Loki!”

He turned to see his parents running towards him, his mother looking completely distraught.

“What happened?” she asked after hugging him.

Despite his heavy tongue, their son explained what had happened: how an intruder in the gardens of the Palace had used magic and attacked them in the darkness, the dagger Thor was hit with being poisoned.

“It’s my fault,” Loki murmured finally, looking down, guilt and distress shining in his eyes.

“No, Loki, it’s not your fault,” his mother said tenderly.

“Yes it is! If he hadn’t pushed me out of the way, he wouldn’t be injured now!”

“Then you would be the one laying on a table, perhaps dead,” Odin said, his voice and gaze hard.

Loki flinched and swallowed, but his father glanced away, obviously worried about his son and the sudden lack of security in his fortress since the morning. The raven-haired man blinked away the tears accumulating in his eyes, from panic and fear at knowing that his brother had been injured and poisoned, from guilt at being the one he saved, and because of the hard look Odin had just worn. He probably would have preferred his second son injured rather than his precious Heir…

“What matters most is that you are safe and sound. I am sure Eir will save your brother,” Frigga said with a smile, forcing her son to look up at her.

He opened his lips but didn’t answer. When he finally found the courage to, the doors opened, showing Frigga’s friend.

“My King, my Queen. Prince Thor will live,” she announced.

Sighs of relief erupted from the family’s lips and Odin took a step forward.

“How is he?”

“The injury isn’t fatal; the poison will only force him to lie in bed for a few days, but he’ll be fine.”

“That might be the worst of fate for Thor, staying in bed for days,” Loki mocked, a relieved smile playing on his lips.

“Can we see him?” Frigga asked.

Eir stepped aside, and after making sure the eldest of Odin’s sons was deeply asleep and would be fine despite his high fever from the poison, they went to their own beds—even if sleep was hard to come by.

The next day, while Thor was still sleeping and feverish, the rest of the royal family and the highest ranked men of Odin’s army were discussing the attack.

“We cannot know who attacked your sons, Your Majesty. The dagger had been stolen this morning from the armoury during the mayhem caused by the spies,” Týr said.

He threw a hesitant glance at the other golden-armoured men around him and added, “We found no print or mark to track the attacker, organic or magical.”

“The Einherjar didn’t see anyone and didn’t find any trail of magic either,” added another.

Odin seemed thoughtful for a moment before straightening his back. After the two consecutives attacks against his family, he looked tired and Loki felt his heart squeeze at the sight. His father was so strong and powerful, he couldn’t imagine him _tired_ …

“This magician passed through my eyes.” Heimdall said glumly, frowning and not at all happy to know he was of no use against this enemy.

“Frigga, what level of magic could be enough to hide someone so well?” the All-Father asked, throwing a glance at his wife.

“A very high level, this must be someone skilled in magic: as powerful as Loki and I, for instance,” the Queen answered before hesitating and pursuing her lips in worry. “Maybe... even more powerful.”

“One of the Vanir?” Orvar, one of the advisors, proposed.

Odin furrowed his eyebrows, but one blond-haired, strong man advanced forward, looking insulted and outraged.

“Do not insult my people!” Freyr exclaimed suddenly, putting a hand on his magical sword.

Orvar put his own hand on his sword and the two men glared at each other, gritting their teeth while tension rose in the room.

“It is known the Vanir are the best of magicians, and _you_ may be our ally, but the rest of your people aren’t!” the brown-haired advisor hissed.

Freyr only frowned even more, and his hand clenched around the pommel of his sword so tightly his joints turned white.

“Enough!” Odin exclaimed, getting up and throwing a hard look at his advisors. “Suspecting each other is exactly what those spies and attackers expect of us! We shall not divide ourselves with suspicion and doubt!”

The two men glared at each other, then slowly released their grip on their swords, taking a step backward. Freyr, the Sun God, turned eyes almost as golden as Heimdall’s towards the All-Father.

“All-Father, I can assure you that my people don’t want a war with Asgard,” he said firmly.

Silence answered him, until Týr ended it by sighing deeply, a frown on his face.

“It might be just like with the Mountain Giants, a little group of opponents against the hegemony of Asgard.”

“Perhaps Mountain Giants _and_ Vanir working together,” Orvar suggested, ignoring the glare he received from Freyr.

“All-Father, if all our enemies decide to work together against us, even as a divided strength, together, they could attack us and the results would be terrible,” the War God said, taking a step forward.

Odin clenched his teeth and sighed, thinking of everything that had been said until now.

“Before anything, we need to find out who our real enemy is,” he finally said, his grip around Gungnir, his spear, tightening.

“But how?” Týr asked.

The King turned towards his wife, his brows creased and his blue eye shining with determination.

“Frigga, do you have any magician who could be a spy for us? Our principal threat is the Mountain Giants: we have to find out the truth of their intentions,” he said. “I had the intention of sending Thor, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif but, with my son injured…”

The Queen thought on it for a moment, but of all the people she could have named, she couldn’t be sure of anyone’s loyalties after everything that had happened the morning before. All her maids betraying her…

“I will.”

Everyone turned towards Loki, who had been so discreet he had been forgotten by all. He took a step forward, staring at his father, his eyes bright in determination.

“I am skilled in magic and fighting; I could go in Jotunheim to find out the truth about the Mountain Giants,” he said.

For a moment, no one said anything, before Odin reacted and frowned.

“Absolutely not!”

Loki expected convincing his father was going to be hard, but he hadn’t thought there would be such a firm denial. He swallowed, taking another step and trying to look confident.

“Father, please, I—”

“No Loki. With Thor injured I can’t send my other heir into the middle of danger. Who knows what awaits you there?”

Clenching his jaw, Loki took a deep breath before speaking up again.

“Thor won’t die, and neither will I! Who could you send to spy on the Mountain Giants anyway? Who can you trust after so many of mother’s maids betrayed her?” he asked.

Odin tried his best not to flinch, but the sudden trapped look in his eyes proved to Loki he was right. There was _no one_ he could trust on this mission, not when they had no idea who the real enemy was.

“Father, please…” Loki pleaded, looking straight into his father’s eye. “Give me a chance: I can do it, I know it,” he said, his voice filled with confidence and hope that he would have a chance to shine, even for just a little bit, in his father’s eye.

The All-Father grimaced, looking down thoughtfully. Frigga glanced at Loki, her hands joined together in worry. She knew how hopeful he was to have a chance to prove himself to his father, instead of just being a shadow helping out the light that was Thor.

“Odin…” she started, attracting his attention back to her. “As Loki said, he is a powerful magician and skilled in battle. If he is careful, as a spy, he could find out the truth about our enemies. And he is our _son_ , he won’t betray us.”

The blue in Odin’s eye shone brightly for a moment and Loki thought he saw something close to fear and doubt, but it was gone so quickly he thought he had imagined it. His mother kept staring at her husband intensely, trying to convince him, even if Odin didn’t seem to think it possible.

“Trust him,” she said with a strong voice.

Loki felt his heart hammer anxiously and expectantly in his chest, turning his gaze to his father, pleading silently.

_Finally_ , Odin’s walls seemed to crack and he sighed, glancing down quickly before looking back up at his son.

“Alright. Loki—I will trust you with this mission, but I don’t want you to stay too long in Jotunheim: as soon as you have the information we need, you come back to us immediately.”

Too happy to have a chance to make his father proud, Loki nodded excitedly, almost bouncing up and down, already ready to take off for Jotunheim.

“To make sure you have support, I’ll send some of my own spies and men to make sure you won’t be in danger,” Odin added, glancing at his advisors who gave a short nod.

But Loki didn’t hear him, already thinking of ways to sneak into Jotunheim and spy on their enemies.

“I shall make you proud father!” he exclaimed, his voice almost shaking with emotion.

He had a _chance_ , at _last_ …

* * *

_For the references from Norse mythology:_

_The Vanir (Vanr for singular) it's the people living in Vanaheim, another world with gods. And they are very skill in magic, it's said they taught it to Odin himself. The two most famous Vanir are Freyr and Freyja, God of Sun and Goddess of Beauty and magic, leader of the Valkyries (to make it simple, of course)._

_Týr is the God of War; you know Heimdall; and Orvar is just here because I needed another character, it's a Norse name meaning "Arrow" (Orvar Odd is also a legendary Norse hero but I didn't know it when I chose the name "Orvar" for this character). And as for the Mountain Giants, this comes from the Marvel universe in which there are the Frost, Mountain and Storm Giants (for the ones in Jotunheim) - I try to keep some of the Marvel universe correct. And in the myths there are differents Giants too, so..._

_NEXT CHAPTER : DEPARTURE FOR JOTUNHEIM_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	4. Departure for Jotunheim

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER IV : Departure for Jotunheim

_[After Queen Frigga and the Princes are attacked, a new threat of war against the Mountain Giants or another group enemy of Asgard is now upon their heads. After Thor is injured and poisoned, Odin accepts to send the one and only spy he can trust without doubt: Loki.]_

Loki watched his brother sleeping. It was a strange vision to see Thor so pale, sweaty and weak, frowning and shaking in his sleep from fever and nightmares.

Taking a towel he dived into fresh water, he squeezed it before patting his brother’s forehead with it.

For a moment, Thor’s poisonous torment didn’t change before he relaxed a little, he sighed and calmed down, falling into a deeper slumber.

“You should rest.”

He turned towards Frigga who smiled at him, walking over to the bed and sitting on its edge. She took the wet towel from Loki before patting her son’s forehead tenderly as well.

“I can’t sleep.” He replied with a little, awkward smile.

She threw him an almost amused look before answering.

“Eager for your mission? I might think you are Thor and not Loki then.”

“Thor is eager for battles, I am eager to go to Jotunheim.” He said simply, glancing at his sleeping brother.

She hesitated a little but if he saw anything in her gaze, it was gone when she turned towards him with a smile.

“I am proud of you Loki. And we love you, you must _know_ that…” She said, putting her hand on his cheek.

He smiled and leaned against her, relieved to have his mother at his side by all times.

“Thank you…” He murmured, his eyes shining gold from the fire in the torches scattered in the room.

She only smiled more, watching him with a motherly look while he felt his heart grow warm. He didn’t thank her only for her comforting words, but also because she stood by his side and faced Odin with him so he could have this chance. He looked back at Thor thoughtfully. After all those years in the shadows, helping his brother and being blinded by his brightness, he had a chance to shine on his own and make his father proud.

He held back a chuckle as he felt almost grateful to whoever had attacked him and Thor, whatever world that enemy was from.

“Mhm gnn…”

Their attention turned back to Thor who grunted in his beard before frowning and shaking lightly.

“Thor?” Loki asked hopefully.

His brother blinked open his cloudy eyes and looked up at him, looking terribly lost and confused. A deep sigh of relief escaped the green eyed man’s lips and he smiled. Thor’s memory slowly came back and he suddenly sat up, almost making their mother fall down on the ground by the sudden move.

“Thor, calm down!” Loki exclaimed, grabbing his brother’s arms tightly while he struggled.

The feverish Thunder God looked around, grunting as if he wanted to make invisible enemies run away.

“Thor!” Frigga called.

Despite his fever and confusion, the god seemed to come back to himself and fell down again the pillows once again, breathing heavily and glancing around, his eyes showing more fear than his usual self would have allowed. He looked up at Loki when he gave him a glass of water to drink, but was too weak to drink on his own. Thor could only allow his brother help him drink.

“How do you feel?” Loki asked, worry shining in his eyes despite himself.

“Gnh…” He answered, which was probably a good sign considering the injury and poison in his body.

Loki almost laughed in relief, but only grinned at his brother, giving him some more water.

“W-what happened..?” Thor asked with a grunting hoarse voice.

“We were attacked by someone when we were on our way back to the Palace. You received a poisoned dagger,” Loki explained before sitting on the side of the bed, frowning lightly, “How stupid of you to push me out of the way. Now, you are injured…” He continued, his voice slightly scolding from the worry and fear he had felt seeing his brother falling on his knees, vanquished by poison.

Thor seemed to hesitate a long time, either because he was too feverish to really understand or because he didn’t know how to consider Loki’s words.

“I couldn’t let my little brother die…” He murmured, his blue eyes shining brightly into green ones.

“I would die happy if it meant saving your life.” He answered, squeezing the Thunderer’s arm tightly.

“And I would call you a fool for not letting me protect you…” Thor replied with a shaky voice.

The two brothers grinned at each other; the first brother beaming in relief to know the other awake and the second happy to simply have his brother by his side.

“Boys, your love and vows of protection for one another are touching, but I’d rather have not you talking about your deaths.” Frigga said, but she couldn’t help and smile tenderly.

“Sorry, mother.” Loki said, still grinning.

“I will go get Eir. Stay calm you two.” She said, getting up and leaving the room.

“What happened to that intruder?” Thor asked, grunting in pain and pouting.

“He disappeared with magic.” Loki said.

“More tricks…” He grumbled, brows furrowed while he struggled to try and sit up but his brother wouldn’t let him.

“Rest, Thor. The poison is playing with your mind, you have a high fever and need sleep.” He said, pushing him back against the pillows.

“But.. the Kingdom..! We can’t let it unprotected when the Mountain Giants could attack us at any time..!” He replied, still trying to sit up but grunting in pain.

“Thor, rest at ease. Father protects the Kingdom. And you need to rest and heal to protect it.” Loki said.

It seemed to calm down his brother a little who sat back, throwing him a hesitant look.

“But…”

“Be at ease. Plus, we aren’t sure the Mountain Giants are the enemies.” He added but sighed at the frown increasing on his brother’s face, “This is why father is sending me to spy on them. I will find out the truth, I promise.” He said proudly with a confident smile.

“No!” Thor exclaimed, getting up suddenly and pushing away the sheets and covers, “I’ll go with you!”

Loki grabbed his shoulders and forced him back on the bed, slightly annoyed he would want so badly to be the hero. Was it so bad if the hero was Loki for _once?_

“Don’t open your wounds again, you fool.” He said, his tone slightly irritated.

“But! I can’t let my brother go alone to Jotunheim!” Thor exclaimed, before wincing at the pain in his abdomen.

Loki blinked, before cursing himself for thinking Thor would want to be the hero of the story. He was worrying for him and he only thanked him with dark mistrustful thoughts. He leaned towards him, taping his shoulder confidently and reassuringly.

“Don’t worry. My tricks and magic will hide me and I will spy effectively on the Mountain Giants.”

“But if you’re in danger? And—”

“Thor.”

Loki sat on the bed, his tone so hard and his gaze so confident that for a moment, Thor’s breath was caught in his throat. He watched his little brother carefully while he spoke up again:

“I know I can do it. On my own. I am stronger than I look. I am skilled with weapons and gifted with magic and tricks. I _will_ come back from Utgard with the information necessary for father to make a decision. I _can_ do it, I _know_ it!” His voice was so confident it was quivering, sending shivers down Thor’s spine – or perhaps that was just the fever.

Thor hesitated, swallowing, his heart hammering in his chest.

“The Warriors Three – surely they can come and protect you?” He proposed with hopefulness, too worried for his brother.

“A smaller number would be more efficient, and the Warriors Three, as skilled as they can be with swords and axes, aren’t spies.”

“You aren’t either.”

“I can be if I want.”

Loki was tempted to add that the Warriors Three were loyal only to Thor, but he didn’t want to make him feel bad.

“Give me a chance…” He murmured in a low voice, his eyes now hesitant and almost hurt that his brother wouldn’t have some faith in him.

He glanced away and opened his lips to answer but they were interrupted by doors opening. Eir, Frigga and Odin all entered and approached the bed. Loki got up and stepped away as the Goddess of Healing was checking Thor’s state and injuries.

“My son. How are you?” Odin asked, the slightest tremor of worry in his voice, but barely perceptible.

Thor looked up at his father then glanced at Loki. He opened his lips to ask to join him, but after seeing the green gaze pleading him to trust him, he couldn’t. He looked down and pouted.

“Fine… But worried.”

“Worried?”

“Why would you send Loki on his own in Jotunheim?!” He asked, frowning. “You can’t let him go alone, he would be in danger, in the middle of our enemies, outnumbered and—”

“Thor.” Odin interrupted, frowning. “Loki has volunteered himself. If he thinks he can do it, then he will. Have some faith in him.”

“I-I do, I trust him, but I am worried. What if danger were to come to him? What if he was injured – or _worse_?”

“That won’t come to it, brother.” Loki said with a smile, his heart beating warmly for their worry and trust.

“But…”

“Thor, as a warrior who volunteered himself many times before, you should understand your brother better than anyone.” Frigga said.

The blond haired man hesitated, his lips shaking before giving a little nod.

“I understand, but I never go alone.”

“Loki won’t be alone, Heimdall will watch over him and I’ll send other spies in secrecy to keep an eye from a distance.” Odin said.

That seemed to reassure Thor a little bit but he was still hesitant. He glanced at the raven haired boy who grinned proudly:

“Not to worry, I’ll make you proud! All of you!” He exclaimed.

Thor gave a tiny sigh, not understanding why he would try so badly to make his family proud. They already were.

_ The next morning, Bifröst _

“Have you packed everything? You’re sure, Loki?” Frigga asked for the tenth time, her hands moving anxiously.

The god smiled at her, squeezing her arms and nodding:

“Not to worry, mother. I have everything in my pockets.” He said, thanking magic to allow everything to be reduced in order to fit in a pocket.

“Be careful on your way…” She said with a smile and taking him in her arms, hugging him tightly.

“I’ll be back before you have time to say ‘prankster’!” He joked happily.

“On your way _prankster,_ if you are so confident.” She chastised lightly, hitting him slightly on the arm.

He grinned then turned towards his father, straightening a little and looking at him seriously.

“Son…” Odin started, his voice hard, “I trust you on this mission. Execute it well, execute it fast and don’t let anything disturb you on your journey.” He said, putting a firm hand on his shoulder and clenching it tightly.

“I shall make you proud, father.” He said.

Odin didn’t say a thing, looking straight at him before Loki turned towards the gatekeeper, exchanging a quick glance with Heimdall before stepping forward in the gate. The Golden God spoke up:

“In order to avoid the Bifröst to be seen by the Mountain Giants, you will be sent at four days on foot of Utgard’s fortress. You are expected to be back by twelve days, if by then you aren’t, war will be declared.” He said with his strong and firm voice.

Only four days to find out the truth. Loki shuddered but managed to hide it, looking firmly at the opening when the Gate Keeper thrust his sword into the receptacle, his magic flowing. The bright familiar colours of the rainbow started to spin and shine in front of them, sending light in the whole golden room. Loki wanted to glance one last time at his parents, but thinking it would only make him look weak to his father’s eyes, he stepped forward and disappeared into light.

_ Jotunheim _

Loki glanced around warily, seeing nothing but vast plains ending with the beginning of mountains. Further in, lost in those mountains, was the citadel of Utgard and fortress of the Mountain Giants.

He took a deep breath then started walking. He had four days to reach it, four days to investigate and four more days to come back here and return to Asgard. Until then, he had to accomplish his mission as his best he could.

_ Himinbjörg, Bifröst, Asgard _

Odin walked quickly into Himinbjörg, Heimdall’s home and Asgard’s guarding station.

“Heimdall, you called me?” He asked the Golden God.

The golden eyed man turned around, giving a short nod.

“Yes, my King. There is something you need to know.” He announced.

The blue eye hesitated a moment, his heart suddenly squeezing in silent fear that his son might be in danger in Jotunheim.

“Prince Loki has disappeared from my view almost immediately after his arrival.” He announced darkly.

Dread fell upon the King’s heart, wishing that for once, his feelings would have been wrong.

_ Jotunheim _

When the grass turned into rock, Loki had to slow down his pace. After half a day of walking, he was finally reaching the beginning of the mountains. He glanced around to make sure there wasn’t anyone – or _anything_ and kept going on. Walking all the way to the fortress was a pain, but it was necessary. The Bifröst’s light was too easily recognizable and he couldn’t take the risk to have suspicions rising among the Mountain Giants.

He ignored the shriek of an eagle that echoed on the mountain walls but he froze when he heard pebbles falling. He turned around, getting out his dagger, his sharp eyes watching the rocks around him. Everything remained silent and nothing moved. A slight breeze of air shook his black hair and he focused, using his magic to try to detect any trace of it around.

He immediately noticed the trail of green magic shining behind a rock. He threw his dagger so fast the stalker didn’t even have time to move. He heard a yelp of pain and the magic dropped, revealing who had been following him. But Loki had already grabbed the spy by the neck and lifted her up from the ground. The woman gasped, struggling and moving her legs, trying to kick him and scratching his hands.

 “Who are you? Why are you following me?” He asked, his voice cold and sharp.

“L-let me go..!” She gasped, trying to breathe.

He frowned, tightening his fingers around her pale neck.

“Give me one reason to do so!” He hissed.

She struggled for air, her nails barely touching his skin, her movements slower and weaker. She closed her eyes, anger shining in them and he finally let his hand release his grip to let her at least talk. He wasn’t like Thor who hit first then asked questions after.

She took as deep of a breath she could and flicked her eyes to him:

“All Father..!” She breathed.

He frowned even more if it was possible, tilting his head slightly forward, ready to snap her neck if necessary.

“What of my father?” He asked before cursing himself for saying he was the All Father’s son – Silvertongue, _indeed_ …

“H-he sent me..!” She breathed.

She gasped and he released her. She fell on the ground, taking a desperate guff of air while he looked down at her, another dagger ready to be thrown. Glancing up at his threatening stance quickly, the girl frowned before speaking up again, her voice weak from the lack of oxygen:

“The All Father sent me, to watch out for you! As another spy, in case something would happen to you. Other spies are all around the mountains, ready to come for help if you were to diverge from the path you follow!” She explained, breathing with difficulty.

The God of Lies eyed her suspiciously. She was a _very_ good liar, but his father would never send a spy as close to him as she was and especially not a Völva after the betrayal from his mother’s maids. She looked up at him and despite the challenging gaze, her teary scared eyes proved she definitely wasn’t a spy.

“Give up the lie. Who are you, _really_?” He asked, the tip of his dagger shining just enough to threaten her.

Sure enough, her eye caught the light and she glared up at him and for the first time, he felt like he was witnessing the real her and not a mask she was wearing.

“I’ve been following you.”

“So far, I’ve noticed.” He mocked with a cold smile.

 “I am the daughter of Thorunn.”

“Thorunn? My mother’s maid? The one who _betrayed_ her?” He hissed in suspicion, raising his dagger once again.

“She didn’t!” She exclaimed, getting up suddenly and staring at him, “My mother would have _never_ betrayed the Queen! She was _used_ , _manipulated!_ Someone played with her mind!”

Her voice echoed in the mountains and Loki snorted. But his will to kill her without hesitation melted when he heard her words.

“What makes you think so?” He inquired.

She seemed to hesitate a little before speaking up again:

“I-I am aware that you shouldn’t have me by your side… But I want to find out the truth about my mother! I want to know who used her until she died!” She exclaimed, “I can fight and I can use seiðr, I could help you!”

He snorted, laughing and shaking his head, highly amused by her foolishness.

“A fool like _you?_ Helping _me?”_

“Yes! I just want to find out what happened to my mother! Let me come with you to the fortress of Utgard, and let me find out if those _monsters_ , those _Giants_ are responsible for my mother’s death!”

He eyed her before snorting another time, looking down at her with his entire royal figure.

“Go back to Asgard, child. I can take care of myself and I don’t need someone slowing me down.” He said, his voice hard.

“If Heimdall or the All Father considered me a threat, they would have sent guards to kill me. They didn’t!” She said, sounding almost desperate.

She grabbed his arms, coming closer and he took a step backwards, pushing her away suddenly.

“ _Don’t_ touch me!” He ordered. “I am Loki Odinson, of Asgard and I won’t let a peasant such as you touch me with such familiarity!!”

She looked down sheepishly before glancing up through her dark eyelashes, a strange emotion he couldn’t read in her green eyes.

“ _Please_ … Don’t you understand how it feels to lose your mother for treason? To be treated as a monster? Enemy of Asgard..?” She whispered.

“No. I don’t. Now go back to Asgard or I’ll send you to Helheim with my own hands!” He threatened, frowning.

Her lips trembled but she looked down. He snorted one last time and turned around, ready to leave before glancing one last time at her:

“What is your name?” He asked.

She looked surprised at his question and she swallowed before answering:

“Eisa.”

“Eisa…” He repeated, rolling the name on his tongue. “Enjoy your freedom while you still can, _Eisa_. When I’m back in Asgard I’ll send you to the dungeons myself for daring to try following me.” He continued darkly.

He turned back to his path instead of watching her reaction, walking straight forward and ignoring the look she threw him. He glanced over his shoulder when he saw her walking back towards the plains at last, and after making sure it wasn’t an illusion, he definitely looked away from the long brown hair.

He had a mission to focus on, a mission given by his father. It was his chance to shine, and he would take it.

* * *

_Loki is (finally) in Jotunheim. Also, just to clear things for the ones who might not know, Jotunheim isn't only made of ice (Marvel universe and myths) and there are different kinds of Jotunns._

_NEXT CHAPTER : CAT & WOLF _

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	5. Cat & Wolf

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER V : Cat & Wolf

_[After Queen Frigga and the Princes are attacked, a new threat of war against the Mountain Giants or another group enemy of Asgard is now upon their heads. Thor is injured and poisoned, Odin accepts to send the one and only spy he can trust without doubt: Loki. But soon after his arrival in Jotunheim, he disappears from Heimdall’s view and meets the daughter of one of the traitors: Eisa. He sends her back to the Bifröst.]_

_ Jotunheim, second day of Loki’s mission _

Loki smirked, leaning forward to have the best view. He was sitting upon a rock, above the path he was following and put his cheek in the palm of his hand, the elbow resting on his lifted knee.

He didn't have to wait that long before seeing the girl, Eisa, walking right in front of him, without noticing him. He let her follow him long enough so he could set up a trap for her and now, he was getting impatient.

The girl kept walking forward, continuing on the path – or so she thought. She suddenly gasped, sensing the ground disappear from under her feet and falling. She thought she would fall but instead, she just stopped to the bottom of a pit, blinking in disbelief before hearing the loud satisfied laugh of Loki as he slid down his rock and walked towards the pit where she was sitting, mouth hanging open from shock.

"Look what the cat just caught…" He purred with satisfaction, his green eyes gleaming happily at the vision he had before him.

Eisa scowled and glared at him, despite being in a vulnerable position.

I have to admit, I'm _almost_ impressed you kept up with me for so long," he said, cocking his head to the side playfully.

"Don't think I am defeated so easily," she replied.

“I don’t remember you being so fierce when I shooed you away yesterday,” he remarked.

“I dropped the game when you got me angry. Never anger a woman. That’s the first rule; did your mother teach you _nothing_?” She mocked, her eyes taking the playful glint he had in his own.

“You think someone like _you_ could scare _me?”_ He asked, chuckling in amusement.

She got up so quickly and kicked off the ground so fast, he didn't have time to react before she landed against the wall of the deep pit and used it for momentum. She grabbed a root and used it to balance herself out of the hole, surging towards Loki so quickly he only had time to let out a shocked gasp before she had grabbed his collar. She turned him around and pushed him backwards, a dagger of her own at his throat. His feet were on the edge of the pit and her hand around his collar was the only thing keeping him from falling in.

He glanced down at the fall waiting for him and swallowed. He has had much worse falls but he would have never expected the crying pleading girl to be so fast and so strong. His pride was wounded. _Deeply_.

He looked back at her and saw a cold gleam he didn't see before, he couldn't help himself but feel intrigued at all the faces she had shown him already.

“You tricked me, shame on you. I should have thought you'd lead me to some sort of trap." She said with a hard voice.

“Now, surely, we can discuss this?” He said, raising his palms to show he was unharmed and beaten even if it was hard for him to admit it.

She stared at him then frowned before giving a wicked smile.

"Give me one reason to do so?" She mocked, using the same sentence he had the day before.

He clenched his teeth before smiling, trying to look as charming as he could.

"Because I am a Prince of Asgard and hurting me would mean having you in prison for the rest of your life – if not longer?" He argued thoughtfully, "Or perhaps the sentence is death? I don't remember, such a pity if you were to lose such a pretty head…"

She stared at him, eyes narrowing before pulling him back on the proper ground. She wanted him to fall on the dust but he was much too quick and nimble. He turned to face her with all his height.

“Why are you following me?”

She sighed deeply, putting her dagger back in the sheathe that she had kept hidden the day before.

"I told you why. I want to find out the truth about my mother," she said simply. "Believe me or not, I don't care about your mission and with or without you, I'll reach the Mountain Giants."

She leaned forward, smiling just enough to make Loki's heart miss a tiny beat. He frowned at the feeling, trying to ignore it while his greyish green eyes met the bright emerald ones. "Now… I'm sure a Prince like you would want to sleep peacefully without worrying about someone attacking him in the night, right? Keep me with you and you won't have to worry about that, _at least_.”

He snorted, smirking and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Tempting, really, but I won’t fall for your charms, Lady Eisa.”

“You are a hard man to read, I’ll give you that,” she said, tilting her head, looking impressed.

He smirked and they stared at each other for a long moment, none of them willing to give up the staring challenge. Loki took his time to observe her from head to toe, she was pretty but not the most astonishing woman he ever saw. She had long auburn hair tied in a messy braid, fair skin and clothes that were comfortable and easy to move in. But her eyes, her eyes were mesmerizing… A deep green that kept changing colours: lime shade to emerald green, then taking turquoise and seafoam shades. He couldn't look away and definitely didn't want to.

"You're interesting, I'll give you that," he finally said, his voice low and huskier than he thought it would be.

She smirked, her lips pink and inviting but she straightened up.

“Does this mean I can join you in your quest?” She asked.

“I am not teaming up with a lost little mouse,” he answered firmly.

She laughed, jerking her head backwards before taking a step forward, her long red nails scratching his jaw just enough to send shivers as she smirked.

“You think me a mouse? I’m more of a wolf, _really_ …”

She leaned even more forward, her lips just inches from his ear.

“And I eat kitties like you for breakfast…” She whispered.

He grabbed her hand and pushed her away so they could face each other once again. She seemed surprised by his reaction and he smirked.

“Do you _really_ think you can charm me so easily?”

She didn't answer, glaring at him and he released her hand, taking a step away and waving his hand ever so slightly to take away all illusions, the path appeared once again.

"I won't force you to go back to the Bifröst; I have a more important task to execute. But if you wish to disobey your Prince's orders and go straight to your death, then be sure I'll take the first chance to watch you writhing in pain. Die, and it'll be on you. Survive, and it'll be on you as well. I won't let someone like _you_ insult _me_ ,” he said with his royal voice before smirking at her darkly, "But I can't wait to see the _wolf_ as scared as a puppy and calling me for help… Not that I will give you any in all cases," he added with a shrug.

He left her, completely astonished and started to walk back on his path. After a few minutes, he realized she hasn't followed him and he smirked to himself. He probably scared her off enough this time and she won't cling onto him like a leech any longer.

A few hours later, after checking several times he wasn't followed, Loki stopped at a rock to take a break. Night would fall soon and he didn't want to sleep without a cover. But if he kept going on, he would reach a valley between two mountains and there would be hours of walk before being able to find a cave or anything where he could rest. He sighed before glancing around him, scanning the area for a good place to stay without worrying too much. After another hour of walking, he finally found a cave that wasn't too deep and settled there, making a fire with his magic and sitting by it, watching carefully outside as the night took place. He ate a little and finally lay on the hard ground, his body aching from the walking.

But even as he tried to fall asleep, he couldn't do anything else but stare with wide opened eyes at the burning crackling fire. He wondered how Thor was doing, if anything else happened to his family while he was away. He was two days away from the fortress of the Mountain Giants. He was just a few days away from making his father proud, at last.

His heart beat in excitement at the glory he would bring with him when he'll be back in Asgard. He looked up at the stars of Jotunheim and it's with a smile that the Prince fell asleep, dreaming of his hopes coming true.

Loki woke up, startled and sat up, glancing around. He blinked away the sleepiness, his heart hammering in his chest while he accustomed to the darkness, the only thing he could see was the embers of the fire. He's pretty sure he slept a few hours and a _natural_ fire would have turned off by then, but _his_ fire was _magical_. There was no way it could have abandoned him like that.

He frowned but before he could do anything, he heard a loud noise, sounding like a grunting huff made by a very, very large creature, the sound resonating in the entire cave and all of Loki's being. It was the same sound that had woken him up. He glanced outside and finally realized that he couldn't see the stars.

His eyes widened and he got up suddenly, getting his dagger out and watching the wall that had appeared at the entrance of the cave. He gritted his teeth, cursing the Mountain Giants that must have noticed him and put a giant rock in front of the entrance to lock him up.

He heard an irritating screeching sound and looked around, trying to determine where it came from but all sound resonated and echoed in the cave. He focused then turned astonished eyes towards the rock when he noticed that the sound _came_ from it.

Frowning and intrigued, he stepped forward slowly and his green eyes only grew wider when he noticed that the rock was _moving_ …

The wall, covered in plates as big as breastplate of a red so dark it looked black. The breastplates were sliding upon each other and against the rock of the walls, creating this friction irritating sound. Therewith he realized that the breastplates were _scales_ …

Loki frowned even more, leaning forward, hesitating fingers approaching the hot giant scales but suddenly, it was gone. He jumped away, raising his dagger and blinking, almost blinded by the moon and the stars shining in the sky.

He swallowed before approaching slowly, watching the area. Did he just dream? Maybe the Jotunn air wasn’t good for his sanity…

He stepped outside the cave, eyeing his surroundings but there was nothing in view. Nothing but mountains and the infinite sky above his head.

Loki blinked, trying to find a good reason to have such hallucinations and slowly let his dagger down, keeping it in his hand but looking around in disbelief. The heavy huffing sound broke the silence and he turned around sharply, dagger raised and ready to strike. The Prince's lips opened in shock as he looked up, up and up before his eyes finally settled on the head of the beast.

A gigantic rangy creature covered in scales thicker than a Giant's skull. The body was so long, so huge, it was impossible for him to see it all. It almost looked like a giant snake if it wasn't for the wings on its back reaching as high as the Fortress' ceiling back in Asgard. Its legs and paws were massive and muscular with talons sharper and longer than swords. And the head… The head was triangular with vicious golden eyes, shining dangerously in the night with jaws and teeth so impressive it would make even the bravest of Valkyries shiver in fear.

 _A dragon_ … Loki thought to himself, eyes wide opened in shock and fear when he recognized the creature he only heard tales of.

He shivered in fear, his heart beating hard in his chest, his little useless dagger of no use when, he himself, was just a toothpick to the creature that was watching him with a cold predatory gaze.

His hand trembled around his weapon and he thought about diving back into the cave, but then, the dragon moved ever so slightly and the paw resting on the roof of the cave he was in only minutes ago suddenly crashed. Rocks flew, dust raised and the dragon shrieked, the sound so frightening it sent cold shivers down the god's spine as it resonated in the Mountains.

Loki covered his head with his arms, miraculously avoided the rocks falling around him but when his eyes glanced up, he suddenly saw the beast that obviously wanted to swallow him all. The dragon opened his gigantic jaws, offering a beautiful view of his sharp teeth. The trembling god saw the flickers of a golden fire in the back of its throat. Without thinking, Loki turned around and ran straight towards the precipice.

He jumped off right when the violent fire hit the rock he was standing on a moment ago. He felt the flames scorching his hair and clothes and for a moment, he felt like floating in the air before gravity took over and his body dropped. He probably yelled but his voice was covered by the angry shriek of the dragon and its moves.

Loki eyed the platform of rocks where he would most probably land and die, cursing his inability of flying unlike Thor.

Thinking fast, he used his magic and made solid roots appear, attached to the rock itself. He managed to grab one, stopping his drop in a sudden move that made his teeth clack against each other before the momentum he had while falling took over him once again. His hands tight around the liana, he started to slide down, his hand burning so violently he screamed through clenched teeth but refused to let go. He thought he would fall on the rock platform anyway; going down way too fast to get out of it unscathed but his descent finally slowed to a stop. He didn't even have time to breath that his burning hands gave up and he fell, yelping and hitting the platform violently enough to have the air of his lungs ejected. He coughed and took a deep breath, his whole body shaking in fear and adrenaline from the heart stopping fall he had.

He lifted up his hands, trembling like a leaf from pain and panic, observing his fingers and palms cut, bloody, and still stinging in a burning pain from the friction against the roots.

But he didn't have time to think that he was safe before he heard rocks falling, he just had just enough time to roll to avoid one hitting his face before he jumped to his feet, kneeling on the ground while he heard another terrifying shrieking roar that shook the mountains.

He glanced up and saw the gigantic red scaled dragon in front of him. The creature had jumped from one mountain to another in order to keep an eye on its prey; it was so big he just had to extend his paws to reach the other side of the mountain facing Loki.

The god shivered when he saw the golden eyes lowering towards him. With a speed and clarity of mind he didn't expect, the god stopped shaking and frowned, focusing as he moved his hands with sharp determined actions. He threw spells, illusions and magic all around him, hiding him from the view of the dragon and making several of his own silhouettes at different places on the mountain's side.

For a moment, he was scared the magical creature could see through his tricks but the golden vicious gaze looked at each and every Loki standing on the mountain and shrieked in rage, furious. The dragon opened his jaws and threw a fire so hot that even if it was far away from the actual Loki, he felt his body heating up so violently that drops of sweat rolled down his face. He gritted his teeth, focusing on the spells he had to perform.

Magic is all about a whisper, something tempting but never impelling. He closed his eyes for more focus, shutting out the angry shrieks of the dragon as it manoeuvres and leaps from mountain to mountain, attacking each and every of his illusions of himself in a desperate attempt to get to him.

Suddenly, the dragon jumped on the side of the mountain where Loki was and it shook violently, breaking the god's concentration. Rocks flew and fell around him so he jumped backwards right when the ground under his feet cracked and fell. His back was against the wall and his feet were barely resting on the very small edge left of the platform where he had landed. He swallowed, trying to focus again but the mountain shook another time from the shriek of the dragon and he almost fell into the emptiness. His bloody trembling fingers and nails grasped the stone desperately as his chest went up and down with heavy breaths. He saw the pure blackness where he would fall, knowing that such a fall would last for a long time and there was no way he could pull a trick to save himself this time.

“Loki!!”

He almost jumped in shock to hear his name but glanced down, seeing Eisa on another path several meters down from his position. He was almost glad to see her. _Almost_.

The mountain shook again and the young woman clenched the mountain side tightly, her lips thin in concentration as she looked around. But if Loki heard her, the dragon has too and he turned his head down to her, shrieking before diving.

oki's heart stopped when he saw the red creature's jaws closing on the young woman before flying off the mountain, its gigantic figure looking endless. But then, the furious shriek proved to the god it had been an illusion. He would have laughed but the woman's voice reached his ears another time.

“Jump!”

He wanted to glance down before doing so, but the edge he was standing on shook and his feet slid off. He fell forward, towards the emptiness but after only a few meters down, his fall was stopped. At first he didn't understand what it was until he realized it was wind slowing down his fall.

 _Elemental magic?_ He wondered in disbelief.

It was the hardest magic of all, even his mother and himself were avoiding this kind of magic, it was taking too much of a toil on the user and it was too unpredictable.

He glanced down and saw Eisa, the real one, hiding under a cave, out of the view of the dragon, moving her hands and biting her lips in focus. Then her magic failed, as you would expect from an elemental spell and he fell. His hands just had time to grab onto the edge of the platform where Eisa was but one of his hands let go. He yelped, knowing his other hand, after the liana, wasn't able to hold on much longer.

Eisa ran to him and fell to the ground, catching his arm to try to lift him up. Loki glanced up, astonished at seeing the girl holding his one hand, her brilliant gaze looking straight into his soul. He pursed his lips then swung his body to grab the edge of the platform with his other hand. With his strength and the Völva's help, he managed to climb onto the platform and run for cover just as the dragon glanced in their direction, but saw nothing.

The two magicians' chests were lifting up and down with their heavy short breath, hiding behind rocks and praying it wouldn't fall onto their heads. Both of them were shaking and Loki glanced down at his opened bloody palms, wincing from the stinging pain.

“You’re welcome…” Eisa said between two puffs of breath.

He glanced at her, not understanding what she meant.

“What?” He asked, frowning lightly.

“I saved you. You’re welcome.” She said, throwing him a hard look.

He blinked in disbelief at the impudence she dared use with him.

“Are you deaf?” She asked, frowning at him.

He snorted then glared back.

“How dare you use such—”

“Later, drama queen! There is a dragon on our tails, if you haven’t noticed!” She exclaimed and as to prove her words, the creature shrieked viciously.

Loki swallowed back his pride and glanced outside, he couldn't see much from there but he moved his hands, making more illusions of Eisa and him appearing on the mountains, running, standing, jumping to attract the dragon's attention.

“You used elemental magic,” was all he could say, more impressed than he cared to admit.

She gave a frustrated sigh before turning towards him, hands on her hips and looking highly annoyed – which annoyed _him_.

“Do you want to die burnt then eaten by a dragon _or_ buried alive in the mountains? Because, royal ass or not, you’re not going to last the night if you keep bothering yourself on meaningless details!” She hissed.

He stared at her, a part of him wanting to slap her for her words and behaviour and another forced to admit she was right.

“We need to get rid of it,” he said, frowning.

“ _Finally_ some sense!” She mocked. “But _how?_ You’re Loki, the God of Mischief, don’t you have some ideas?” She asked.

“Why would I trust you?” He replied, looking down at her fragile looking frame.

“Because I have no other choice but to trust _you_ to save us _both_ …” She answered, sounding as if the words were ripping off her throat.

He observed her for a long moment wondering if he could really believe her words or if she was trying to get to something at the end. But the shriek of the dragon reminded him that _it_ was the main threat for the moment and he mentally shook himself, forcing his thoughts to remain as clear and calculated as ever.

“You and I can't possibly kill that dragon. Our only choice is to lure him and slow him down long enough to escape the mountain," he said.

She watched him intensely, drinking his words as he started to explain his plan. At the end, her green eyes lit up, an amazingly tempting fire in the mid-darkness before she grinned, her smile as mischievous as his.

“Do you think you can do it?” He asked finally, staring at her.

“Let’s go slay a dragon, Your Highness!” She answered.

* * *

_Eisa is back and you know more about her personnality now :) I hope it's not too much of a change from the last chapter, but I want a badass character! :P_

_Dragon is one of the main creatures in Norse mythology, so I thought I'd add a bit more of fantasy to light up the mood - and also, I'm trying to make Loki more playful and mischievous than what we saw in most movies._

_NEXT CHAPTER : TOOL_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_  


	6. Tool

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER VI : Tool

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants but he disappears from Heimdall's view and meets the daughter of one of the traitors: Eisa. She kept on following him and while being attacked by a dragon, they need to team up.]_

Loki used his magic to cloak himself before climbing back onto the trail of the mountain in order to stand above the dragon to watch everything that was happening, Loki observed the surroundings carefully. He hated having to trust that Völva for a good part of the plan, but he needed focus and concentration and would not be able to do anything without her help. He was aware of her presence, several meters above him.

His eyes caught the glimpse of light in the distance, just like the fiery creature did and both turned their attention towards the golden stars dancing in the air so far away – but just a little jump away for the gigantic hellish monster.

 _Good_ … He thought.

He focused his attention on the peak of mountain in front of him, whispering words with a feverish voice, sweat rolling down from his temples to chin.

Eisa's illusion of gold had attracted the dragon's attention whose eyes suddenly had a mesmerized focus on the piece of treasure this kind of creature loved so much. Gold was the dragon's weakness, the one thing that could distract him – or drive him mad when necessary. The trick was to lure the dragon and attract him enough to have time to slow him down – and that was the hardest part of the plan, the part Loki had to execute to perfection without losing a second.

The dragon approached almost carefully to what he thought were coins of pure gold. His head tilted from one side to another, eyeing the gold silently as his paws approached little by little, using its enormous reach to tiptoe on the mountain sides delicately. The gold of his eyes was shining more fiercely, as if ablaze by the greed of reaching for this gold, to grab and keep for himself.

Loki's watery green eyes flew opened suddenly and with a sudden sharp move of his hands, rocks from the mountain he was facing, right above the dragon seemed to be ripped off the mountain wall. It appeared as if pebbles were falling onto the dragon's back at first, not even scratching him nor distracting him from his 'prize'. Quickly, after another swing of his arms and a shout, he felt his whole body burning with seiðr more rocks seemed to explode and begin to drop.

Quite a few hit the dragon and he shook his body, as if it was merely annoying him but Loki had decided to bet on the elemental magic he wasn't the best at, earth, but clever enough as to not try to make the whole mountain fall down onto the dragon. Instead, he chose to rip off some rocks from the base of the peak and after losing just some of its weight, the rest of the rocky hill would collapse on itself all on its own.

Loki gave another violent sway, his whole body trembling from exhaustion, his fingers burning with the greenish light of his magic. Boulders seemed to be torn apart by a giant invisible hand and toppled. The stone above the new hole in the mountain seemed to vibrate ever so slightly as the god ceased to breathe, watching anxiously. Some rocks dropped, then the side of the mountain couldn't fight against gravity anymore for it started to collapsed, agonizingly slow at first then all at once.

The dragon heard the rumbling of the stones falling straight onto him and he glanced away from the illusion of gold that had lured him in this trap long enough to just see a part of the mountain wall rolling down onto him. The avalanche of mighty rocks fell upon him and he gave a loud shrieked, brought down by the weight of the mountain rocks as he collapsed and fell all the way down into the valley.

The sound of the rocky wall flowing down echoed in the mountains so loudly it made them all vibrate causing Loki to lose his balance and fall on his knees, exhausted from using so much of his seiðr, his whole body aching from both the magic and the fight.

His mother had always said that magic was a tool which increased one's potential but would require the energy, strength and muscles the Völvo would use if he were to use his own abilities. Loki on his own could not move a rock, but thanks to his seiðr, he ripped off an entire side of the mountain. And his body knew it, feeling as if he had used his own hands and muscles to do so.

He could still feel it, the runes of magic pulsing through his veins, the feeling of power and invincibility that couldn't be compared to anything else. But now it was slowly fading away as he felt crushed and overwhelmed by his exertion, not just physical but also by the weakness of his energy and aura.

Until now, he had used spells and magic but every time it got too exhausting, his mother had stopped him and he never actually reached his true potential. Was this what he could do? Break an entire mountain apart?

His vision became blurry and he wavered on his knees, his body throbbing from pain and exhaustion.

Then, suddenly, the raging shriek of the dragon that had been buried under tons of rocks resonated again, making his body jump in fear and shock. His eyes widened and he watched dreadfully as the side of the mountain he worked so hard to bring down moved at the bottom of the valley. Soon enough, the dark red creature moved and a paw, then a wing and finally his head along with the rest of his body emerged, screeching and boiling in fury.

Loki wanted to try something, but he wasn't even able to move a finger when the dragon rose, looking like an angel of death with its wings spread in the air so terrifyingly.

The creature turned around, his golden cold wrath gaze looked straight into the God of Mischief's soul, straight through his green panicked eyes. He acted so quickly, the god barely even had time to sink in a breath that the huge claws hit the mountain so violently it exploded. Loki tried to cover his head with his arms, to protect himself with a magical shield, but he was too weak. He had used too much energy trying to bury the dragon to no prevail considering it only angered him more than before. Then, his head was struck by a rock and he fell into unconsciousness.

His ears were whizzing and his head throbbed. He wanted to move but his body ached and was sorer than he can remember. He had never felt so much pain and he wondered why Eisa hasn't used her magic on his body already. His heart started to beat heavily against his chest, suddenly feeling fearful and lonely…

Why was he in pain? Why was he alone? Why wasn't there anyone with him?

His mother would hold his hand and would be asking him to wake up if he was injured. Surely Thor would stick around and grunt, expecting him to wake up with this lovely sound. Odin too. Odin would probably come, ask about him and leave, only to come back later… He wasn't really alone, right? Even if he felt cold, and in pain, if he were to open his eyes, he would see his family's smiles. They would be here, right?

His eyelids trembled and slowly, his eyes blinked opened. He grunted when he was blinded by the intense light of the sun and he opened his lips to ask whoever would hear to draw the curtains of his chambers closed. But his throat was dry and no word would escape his dry lips.

He felt a fresh wet clothe on his forehead, tapping it lightly to draw away the pain and fever ever so slightly. Delicately, as if scared to hurt him, the cloth moved onto his cheeks then over his lips before going back to his forehead.

He sighed in relief lightly, the touch of his mother reassuring and comforting. He wanted to fall back asleep but as soon as he let his consciousness give up, images flashed with light and fire behind his eyelids. He shook and breathed harder, seeing his brother falling on his knees, in mud, his flank injured by a poisoned dagger. He heard the roaring of a dragon and felt the heat of its fire before seeing the landscapes of Jotunheim toggling with the red scaled creature. He gasped, trying to breath but the flashes of his injured brother, of Jotunheim, of the dragon and a mountain falling on him kept appearing in his mind, becoming more and more vivid each time.

He suddenly yelped, opening his eyes wide in fear, his lips letting a breathless "no" escape. He tried to sit up but firm hands rested on his shoulders, pushing him down back onto the cold hard ground.

He closed his eyes again, feeling tears stinging behind his eyelids but he fought them off. Everything came rushing back to his mind: his injured brother, the threat of a war against the Jotunns, his mission to reach Utgard, the dragon. Death? He was in too much pain to be in Helheim or Valhalla.

He felt someone lift up his head and bring water to his lips, forcing him to drink. At first, he felt almost relieved even as he felt blinded by the bright sun and deaf from the hammering of his lost scared heart against his chest but then, he reacted. He suddenly threw himself away from the person who had held him and he stared with wide eyes at Eisa who didn't appear to be disturbed by his reaction.

He tried to move away but fell on his elbows, breathing hard and looking away, strands of black messy hair falling on his face. His eyes fixed on the dusty ground for a long moment. He wasn't with his family. He was on a mission to save them and make them proud.

"How do you feel?" Eisa asked.

At first, he didn't understand the question considering how fuzzy the sound of her voice was in his head but then he heard himself answer then realized he was doing anything at all.

"What are you doing?"

His voice sounded much colder than he intended it to and silence fell between them.

Accustomed once again to the light and sound without having his head throbbing enough that he would gladly hit himself with Mjolnir, he sat up. His body ached, sore and stiff from the amount of energy and strength it took him to display so much elemental magic to move those rocks and break that mountain. All that for nothing but merely annoying the dragon… His eyes widened when he realized how silent it was and he looked up, glancing around feverishly.

"The dragon…"

His voice trailed off and he was surprised to see that they were in plain sight, in the middle of the mountains, facing the one that now had a huge part of its side gone, fallen in rumbles in the valley.

"He was more injured than we thought. He flew away after hitting this mountain one last time," she explained.

He looked back at her, wondering why she had stayed by his side for hours considering the position of the sun was in the sky. She handed him the gourd of water and after watching her suspiciously, he carefully took the gourd and drank in it, giving a sigh of relief at the refreshing liquid going down his throat.

"What happened to me?" He asked, pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to survive the rocks falling on top of him.

"The hit must have pushed you under a cover that protected you from the falling rocks. I found you lying in dust and pebbles, you were bleeding."

He brought a hesitant hand on his head then winced at the pain it provoked on his temple and throughout his entire body. He definitely wasn't a fan of the notion of pain.

"Don't touch it, you need to be healed but I don't have anything on me to help with bandaging your head," she said, frowning at the dried blood at his head and soaking his hair.

"Did you really come in Jotunheim expecting to follow me all the way to Utgard without any supplies?" He asked.

At this point, he didn't know if he should be impressed or laugh at her in disbelief. He probably hit his head harder than he initially thought if he felt this way.

"There is a river down there where you could rest better than here, but I don't know if—"

"I can walk." He interrupted.

And to prove his point, he pushed himself up, wavering on shaking legs. She watched him carefully, ready to grab him if he fell but he grunted and forced himself to advance. He could feel every single muscle in his body shouting in pain. He could feel every single one of his bruises and scratches stretching and aching.

It was his third day in Jotunheim; he was only half way to his goal. And he was drastically slowed down… He growled once again, and this time it wasn't from pain.

A few hours later, they had reached the valley where the river mentioned by Eisa was flowing through. When Loki looked further, he saw the results of the mountain he had tried to break. He saw rocks and rumbles scattered in the middle of the river and creating more stream than it used to have. He would have shrugged if his body wasn't hurting so much.

He kneeled down next to the river and filled his gourd, drinking it before glancing at the girl who was washing her hands and forearms from the dust and sweat. He stared at her for so long she finally felt his gaze on her and looked up. He threw her the gourd and she caught it in her hands, watching him in surprise.

"Drink." He commanded.

She glanced down at the gourd once again before smiling lightly:

"You do like giving orders…" She murmured before drinking from the gourd.

He rolled his eyes and after washing his injuries with the water, took out a shrunk safety kit from his pockets. He held it in his palm and merely had to wait before it turned back to its normal size. He took out some bandages and after wetting them in the water, applied it with a groan on his forehead.

"Do you want me to help you?" Eisa asked, breaking the silence between them.

"No."

She stared at him with a little pout while he kept on washing off the dried blood.

"Let me—" She started.

"No," he cut her off, throwing her a stern look, "I am capable of taking care of myself."

A disbelieving look fell on her face and he almost threw her in the river before retaining himself. After washing their faces arms of dust from the previous night's fight. Loki stood quickly, looking around before starting to walk towards the next mountain he had to climb.

He didn't even glance behind him but knew the girl was following him, keeping up with his pace surprisingly well.

"You know, you could have thanked me," Eisa suddenly said, ending the silence that Loki much preferred.

"For what?"

She caught up with him, pondering the question and lifted up her hand to count.

"For saving your life a first time from a fatal fall, assisting you with that dragon, going back to check on you in the rubble, and for taking care of you until you woke up," she enumerated before glancing at him.

He scowled before sighing deeply. He wasn't enough of a fool to not know she did help him –he would go as far as admitting she might have saved him. And even if he was a proud Prince, he wasn't going to deny any of her words.

He stopped then turned towards her, bowing his head slightly.

"I am sorry that I have been rude to you this whole time after you saved and helped me. I thank you, Lady Eisa, for everything you've done for me," he said.

Her lips opened and her eyes widened, shocked by his words and the sudden honesty emanating from him.

"But I don't require any more help from you," he added before straightening up but still keeping eye contact with her, "as I have told you before, I will keep my journey towards Utgard alone. If you wish to go on your own, then do so, but as I'm sure you've noticed, it's a dangerous path and—"

"Dangerous? I love danger!" She exclaimed, completely ignoring him.

He frowned, unsure of what to say after being silenced so suddenly by her voice. She looked around and smiled at the landscape.

"It's dangerous, indeed, but isn't it exciting? Going on an adventure like this?" She asked, glancing back at him.

"I.. am not sure I—"

His voice trailed off but once again, it's as if he hasn't said anything at all and she continued talking.

"It's not like that every day! And Asgard can be so boring! I didn't have this much fun in so long!" She exclaimed, taking in a deep breath of air from the mountains.

He glanced around, not used to this kind of wild behavior from women. He didn't know what to think about her liking for adventures, but he couldn't disagree when she said that Asgard was boring.

"I can't protect you if you come along," he said, frowning lightly.

"I don't need your protection, so don't worry about me. I can take care of myself!" She exclaimed with a wink, echoing his words from earlier.

His lips parted, looking for words that would convince her to go back to Asgard.

"Plus," she added, drawing his attention back on her, "I can't assure your protection either."

"I am a Prince!" He replied, offended she wouldn't beg to protect him with her life.

She turned back towards him, her expression hard and determined.

"No, you're not. Right here, right now, you are only an enemy of the Mountain Giants – just like me. Right now, you have to reach Utgard unhurt – which happens to be my goal as well. You might have skills in seiðr and fighting, but you can't know what lies ahead of you. Perhaps something even more dangerous than a dragon and you can't know if you won't need my help another time."

She took a step forward, her will unbreakable despite his intense gaze on her.

"Right here and right now, you and I are in the exact same situation and we both may need help."

He stared at her for a long moment, knowing that titles or not, he was in danger every second in this place. But if he could use her help to survive and go back to Asgard as quickly as possible with the information he needed, then, he would use her skills and foolish determination.

"And as I told you before, if you want me or not, I'll go to Utgard anyway. So let's just help each other!"

He frowned lightly, recalling that last time she kept on following him even after his words. She was too stubborn and determined to go back to Asgard anyway. He stared at her emerald eyes that were so mesmerizing, her full lips inviting.

He smiled at her, as charming as a snake as ever.

"Let's just help each other, then,” he said in a low tempting voice.

She seemed to react at the tone of his voice and threw him an hesitant gaze, before smiling widely and flushing lightly, her own eyes staring at him from head to toe with a very satisfied look on her face.

"The company won't be too bothersome, I guess…" She said before walking again.

He observed her, perfectly aware of the effect he had on her – and she on him. But as long as he didn't have his information, he won't let himself get distracted. He'll have fun with his new tool back in Asgard – if she survives this adventure of course.

"You took the words right from my mouth…" He murmured to himself with a smile before following her, slowly making their way towards Utgard through the mountains.

* * *

 

_I'm on 'holiday' and won't be able to post any chapter before two more weeks except if my betareader doesn't have time to beta reader the chapters I sent her._

_Tell me what you think of this fanfic so far! :D_

_NEXT CHAPTER : PURPOSE_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_  


	7. Purpose

_After three weeks, as promised there will be three chapters; also, I wrote a one-shot titled "The Norns' Thunder" which is a little thing about Thor and Loki as children. ;)_

_Thank you to the ones who added kudos and bookmarked! :D  
_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER VII : Purpose

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants but he disappears from Heimdall's view and meets the daughter of one of the traitors: Eisa. She kept on following him but being attacked by a dragon, they needed to team up. Loki and Eisa finally decide to stick together in order to survive.]_

_Jotunheim, third day of Loki's mission,_ _group of_ _ Einherjar _

Týr sighed, looking around the devastated meadows covered in rocks and dust then glanced up at the side of the mountain that had been torn away from the mountain.

"Lord Týr!" One of the Einherjar called, running towards him.

"What is it? Did you find anything?" The War God asked, his brown hair ruffled by the fresh breeze.

"Black marks which probably belong to a dragon, my Lord," he answered.

His grey eyes widened slightly before a look of slight panic flashed on his face.

"No body? Nothing else?" He asked.

"No, my Lord."

"If a dragon attacked the Prince he wouldn't have been able to defend himself on his own," one of the Einherjar said.

Týr turned his back to them, thinking deeply. The golden armored soldiers glanced at each other, unease at the idea they had to bring the news of their Prince's death to the royal family in Asgard.

The brown haired god glanced at the pile of bodies of Einherjar and spies that had been found on the way to this place. Each and every one died of mysterious reasons and only Eir and her healers would be able to determine the cause of death. He grumbled, tightening his lips in annoyance.

"Something's wrong…" He murmured, unable to understand the situation.

The Prince was gone from Heimdall's view, the Einherjar sent to guard him from a distance had all been assassinated and a dragon had attacked the Prince. But no sign of him, or his death. A dragon would swallow him quickly, but something was definitely wrong…

"Lord Týr!" Another of Einherjar shouted, waving widely to gain his attention.

Leaving some of his men where they already were, with several others, he ran up alongside the river until they reached the path, that had been followed by the Prince, from the mountain that had been attacked.

"Lord Týr!" The Einheri, Völund, started, looking slightly panicked, "We found something!"

The War God followed him as he indicated with his finger something kept under a rock but still easy to find. Týr kneeled down, not far from the edge of the river and took out the bandage covered in blood, but not enough to worry him about the Prince's well-being. He smirked, chuckling lightly before standing, glancing around but seeing nothing of importance.

"That clever boy…" He murmured.

He took a deep breath then turned around to give his orders, "Prince Loki is still alive and well!" He exclaimed before turning towards Völund, "Take six men and follow the path he should have taken, as discreetly as possible. He is an entire day ahead of you but be careful to whatever thing might have caused the others' deaths. We'll use falcons to send messages."

"Yes, sir!" The Einheri exclaimed, giving a nod then turning towards the six men he'll be taking.

"As for the others, we're returning to Asgard!" Týr exclaimed, climbing on his horse and after a moment, the Einherjar that were to return were following behind him, on their horses.

He kept frowning the whole way back to the spot where Heimdall would bring them back through the Bifröst. If the Queen's maids were traitors and if someone managed to attack the Princes without being noticed, then it is possible the latter had followed Loki all the way here, killing off the Einherjar and spies that were on his trail.

He gritted his teeth, slamming the horse's bridle to go faster. Whoever the enemy was, they were dangerous.

_Jotunheim, third day of Loki's mission_

"If you don't eat, you'll drop dead and I won't drag you all the way to Utgard," Loki said, taking another mouthful of bread.

Eisa glanced up at him from her untouched part of the meal. She hesitated for a long moment, the man still eating and staring at her intensely before she finally sighed and spoke up.

"Can't we take another path to get to Utgard?" She asked with a little voice.

The jaw slowed down before ceasing to chew. Loki swallowed, frowning. The look of slight amusement was gone, replaced by high annoyance.

"Why?" He asked suspiciously.

She bit her lower lip, glancing around before leaning forward.

"I-I think it would be safer to go different way…" She murmured.

"The path we are taking is the fastest to reach Utgard. I am already delayed by that stupid dragon; I can't lose any more time to be 'safe'," he said sharply, his tone leaving no room for argument.

But Eisa wasn't the kind to back down and she continued:

"But—"

"And should I remind you that I am still your Prince and leader of this mission and thus, make the decisions?" He cut before he continued his chewing.

She sighed before frowning and grimacing.

"Who made you the leader anyway?"

"Are you really going to discuss  _that_?" He asked, raising eyebrows in amazement at the nerve of that girl.

She shrugged before answering, "I will if you won't let me talk." She replied calmly.

Loki almost choked from the bravery – or complete stupidity – she had to speak to him this way.

"I did let you talk. You've spoke nonsense." He stated sharply, becoming more and more irritated by this girl.

"Would you listen to what I have to say? I am not proposing another path just for the sake of annoying the Hel out of you no matter how tempting it is!" She exclaimed, glaring at him.

He stared at her, electricity sparkling between them but none looking away. Loki kept his watery green eyes on her intense dark ones when he opened his lips, "Then for what reason would you want to change our path?" He questioned with a cold tone.

She sighed once again before glancing around, suddenly looking uncomfortable – which raised the god's curiosity.

"I-I think we're being followed by someone – or  _something_ …" She murmured, fidgeting her hands on her laps worriedly.

He frowned, his body immediately freezing in alert.

"Why?" He asked quickly yet quietly.

"When you threw me away the second time, I was on my way back to the Bifröst's site," she said, ignoring his surprised expression that she  _did_  listen to him (at least a little), "But then, I.. there was a body…" She breathed, staring at him, fear dancing in her eyes.

His eyes widened slightly but he didn't have to ask before she answered his silent question:

"It was an Einheri,  _dead_. I don't know what could have killed him considering I.. I didn't walk by anyone, or anything. But it wasn't a natural death…" She said, looking serious and frightened.

He took a deep breath to calm his beating heart. He knew that his father had sent some Einherjar and spies to follow him from a distance, in case of something were to go wrong. He had been surprised none had come to his rescue when the dragon had attacked, but he had been too occupied with the battle to think about it. If no one came to his help, and if something – or someone – did follow him as Eisa says, did that thing kill all of the Einherjar following him? And what about Heimdall? Did he know anything; couldn't he see those Asgardians getting killed off one by one?

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Something was off since the beginning of this story. It wouldn't surprise him that the assassin, that injured Thor so badly, would follow him. That attacker was using seiðr, which means he could hide whatever he wanted from Heimdall's view.

Which also meant Loki was all alone.

His eyes turned towards Eisa who kept glancing around nervously.

Well, he wasn't  _completely_  alone…

He didn't want this thought warming his heart, but he couldn't stop a slight beat of relief from shooting through his body anyway. He didn't trust this girl, but what she said was too much of a possibility to be ignored.

He would gladly set up a trap to catch whoever was following him – who was most probably his enemy as well – but it would take too much time to make it and wait. He quickly thought of his fastest possible paths to reach Utgard then got up swiftly, shrinking back the few items he had gotten out of his pockets.

"Get up, we're leaving." He ordered.

She blinked in surprise before quickly following him; his long legs had already brought him ahead of her. His stare remained right in front of him and she struggled to keep up with him, his strides much longer than hers.

"Do we still go to Utgard following the original path? I mean, I just said we could be followed, isn't it dangerous to keep going towards the obvious way? After all, this person – whatever that could be because—"

"We're taking another path," he said, cutting her nervous rambling off.

"Really? Which way? How long will it take us to reach Utgard?" She asked.

"We'll avoid the most obvious pathways and send illusions to the same path we've been following until now," he said, frowning at her from the amount of questions, "As for the time it'll take… Probably about two or three days. If everything goes well…"

He threw her a glare then pouted.

"I do hope you're not wrong. Otherwise I'll lose considerable time going this way, but I don't have a choice," he mumbled, calculating how long he'll have to gather information with this detour.

"I didn't finish my bread," she said, glancing down at the piece of food in her hands.

"Then eat!" He exclaimed, rolling his eyes angrily.

"Not while walking! Do you know what it does to the stomach? You end up swallowing air and then, you feel bad and then—"

"For Valhalla's sake, shut up!" He said, sighing and tightening his lips.

She snorted and glared at him. Silence fell on them for a moment before she smirked.

"But you're not the leader," she murmured to herself in a childish, sulking away.

He froze and glared at her. She smirked at him then walked ahead, laughing at his expression. He stayed still while her laugh resonated in the mountains. He observed her for a moment before sighing and putting a hand through his black hair, hoping nothing else would delay him any longer.

After hours of silent walking, the girl began to feel bored and lonely thus deciding to break the silence.

"Are you not going to tell me where we're going?" Eisa asked.

Loki threw her a quick glance before looking back on the path they were following, much more complicated and dangerous than the first one.

"I told you we're taking another way. Now save your breath, you'll need it."

"Do you even have a map on you?" She continued in disbelief.

He grinned and tapped his temple.

"I don't need to, all maps are in here."

She slowed down a little before slowly smiling, accelerating to keep up his path. After another moment of silence, she spoke up again.

"So, why are you here?" She asked after pulling at a flower and rolling it between her fingers.

He frowned lightly and looked over his shoulder at the auburn haired girl; she had a silly smile on her face as she observed the little pitiful flower she had plucked.

"Why would you wish to know?" He asked, trying to keep his voice from turning sharp in suspicion.

She glanced up at him then shrugged.

"To keep the conversation going?"

"You don't need to know anything about me," he said, turning back towards the road.

"Then, I'll talk about me?" She offered.

He was about to refuse but she ran to be at his level and started talking before he could tell her to keep her mouth shut.

"I grew up in Asgard with my parents and my older sister. My mother is Asgardian and my father a Vanr. But he died in one of those battles against the Mountain Giants."

She frowned, her expression forlorn and dark.

"Sounds like those Giants have a gift in taking away what is precious for me…" She murmured.

Loki glanced at her but didn't say a thing.

She took a deep breath and continued, "My mother started working for Queen Frigga when I was very young and my sister is also one of the maids of the Palace."

"But not you?" He inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"No, I've always admired Lady Sif for working so hard and becoming a warrior without joining the Valkyrie! I want to become like her!" She exclaimed, her eyes gleaming happily. The young prince couldn't help but chuckle at her excited expression.

"If you were joining the Valkyrie, you would be a warrior much faster than if you had to convince the Nine Worlds that you are worthy of your sword." He commented.

She turned towards him, looking suddenly serious.

"But I don't see why I should have to convince anyone as long as I can fight for Asgard, woman or not. Plus, I enjoy the company of men and I don't want to give up on that!" She added with a wink.

Loki froze in his steps, warmth bubbling inside of him before he frowned and growled, keeping his pace while she ignored his troubled expression.

"I'm a very patient woman. It'll take the time it needs, but my dreams will come true," she added with a sweet smile.

He snorted then shrugged.

"You have some confidence in your capacities, I'll admit it." He said, glancing around to make sure there wasn't anything or anyone following them.

"What about you? What do you want to become?" She asked, sounding genuinely curious.

He froze and threw a hard look at her. She froze as well and paled, swallowing when she realized how stupid of a question it was.

"Sorry… I guess you don't have much of a choice…"

After a tense moment of silence in which they started walking once again, she spoke up again, "If you could do anything at all, if you had the choice, what would it be?" She asked.

He forced himself not to look at the girl, focusing on his steps.

"It doesn't matter. I am a Prince of Asgard and dreaming about meaningless possibilities that will never happen isn't worth my time," he answered sharply.

She observed him in silence but when he started to think she had dropped the conversation, she spoke up again.

"If you could choose any path for your life, if you weren't a prince, do you think you would be good for Asgard's sake? Would you rather save it or destroy it?"

He turned around to her so suddenly she bumped into him and remained only a few inches from him. His lips were hanging open in shock and he was frowning, looking completely astonished.

"How can you even ask such a thing?! I will  _always_  save Asgard! Prince or not!" he exclaimed.

She didn't glance away, her intense gaze fighting his. Electricity rose between the two, none of them willing to give up this staring contest.

"Now… I have to ask  _you_  if you would rather work for Asgard's safety or its destruction?" He asked in a low dark voice.

She continued staring at him, her gaze unflinching until she finally smiled sadly, a sudden scared light flickering in her bright green eyes.

"I don't know…" She breathed, her voice trembling lightly, "A few days ago, I would have fought with my life for Asgard but…"

His eyes hardened and she finally lowered her gaze, staring at emptiness.

"But after what happened to my mother and what Odin did to my sister…" She murmured.

Loki blinked and he felt suddenly uncomfortable at the turn that was taking the conversation.

"Your sister? What happened to her?" He asked.

She looked back up at him, frowning lightly, not understanding.

"Don't you know…?" She whispered, tilting her head in confusion.

"What happened?" He asked, more urgently.

She didn't answer for a long moment, staring at him hesitantly but finally, her trembling lips opened:

"She.. after the attack against the Queen… Odin ordered the Einherjar to arrest the families of all the 'spies'…"

Loki's face remained expressionless but his eyes flickered, suddenly understanding why she was so determined to go all the way to Utgard to find out the truth. If she was right and her mother had been used like any tool, then her sister - and all the other people arrested - will be declared innocent and freed. She was not only trying to redeem her mother, but to save her sister as well. Just like Loki was trying to protect and save his family…

"T-that's why.." She started.

"Not another word." He cut sharply.

She stared at him in astonishment at his sudden tone, feeling more shaken than she should have. He turned his back to her, barely keeping a sigh from escaping his lips before speaking up once again:

"I'll make sure you'll make it back to Asgard. And if what you are saying is true and your mother is just a victim, I'll personally free your sister from her cell." He said before starting to walk once again.

She stared at him, completely frozen and mouth wide open before grinning and running after him.

"Thank you!" she exclaimed brightly.

He glanced at her just long enough to see how bright she looked before looking away. His only answer was a disdainful snort but, even to him, it didn't sound convincing.

* * *

_I hope you liked it so far, and I hope Loki isn't too OOC but once again, it's long before he became so bitter and vengeful._

_Tell me what you think please! :D_

_NEXT CHAPTER : CROSSWAY_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	8. Crossway

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER VIII : Crossway

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something has been following him since his arrival in Jotunheim so they decide to take a different path than the original one. Eisa talks about herself and after realizing that there might be more to this story than Loki first thought and that Eisa was just a victim, he promises to bring her back safe and sound in Asgard.]_

_Jotunheim, fourth day of Loki's mission_

Loki glanced behind him when he heard a gasp and saw Eisa sliding against the rocks. His hand shot out and he grabbed her arm and steadied her before she could fall from the climb. She breathed heavily to calm herself, her chest lifting up and down as she glanced down at the rocks on which she would have died if he wouldn't have caught her. She glanced up with a thankful gaze; her green eyes were a dark pine shade, shining in fear.

She was sweating and breathing hard, her whole body shaking from the exhaustion and cold as they were climbing up that side of the mountain. Unlike the path they were following half a day ago that had a 'safe' way of travelling through the mountains to reach Utgard, the detour they were using now was much more dangerous. They had arrived at the foot of this mountain in the afternoon and had been climbing its sharp side ever since – now it was the middle of the night.

"Rest a little, it's more stable here." He said, leaning against the side of the mountain and still grasping her arm.

She leaned as well, holding as steadily as she could against the rock when they were standing on a platform just a few inches wide. One wrong move and they could fall down. She firmly squeezed her eyes shut under his calm gaze despite the wind whipping against them.

"H-how long until.. until.. we arrive wherever you want us to be?" She asked with a shaking voice, opening her eyes once again. She blinked and flushed lightly when she realized how close they really were, only a few inches from each other. Close enough to feel his breath on her skin when he replied.

"I'm not sure, it's too dark to be able to tell. But we can't rest here, it's too dangerous. You'll sleep as soon as we get there," he said, the hissing wind almost making it impossible to understand his words.

"Why is there so much wind? The mountains on the other side of the range we walked by today didn't have that much wind!" She screamed so her voice would cover the whistling gusts.

"We're getting closer to the Storm Giants, that's why!" He exclaimed loudly, frowning lightly at his dark hair whipping his face, "The weather is changing and this cold wind meets hotter air further; it creates a lot of storms and cyclones!" He explained, giving a quick nod to a point in the distance.

Eisa shifted her gaze but the only thing she could see was a stormy dark grey column between mountains hiding the stars and sky. After staring at it, she saw some lightning running through the wall of clouds. She shivered and got closer to the rock if possible.

But she only approached the Prince instead; he glanced down at her and his lips parted slightly when he realized that he was still holding her arm protectively. She guessed his thoughts and avoided his gaze while he let her go, making sure once more that she was stable.

"Let's keep climbing," he said suddenly, already turning around and taking support on the rocks and sharp edges to continue his ascension.

She swallowed, staring at him and his dark capes flying around his body before following him.

It took several more hours for them to reach some stable platform with closing walls that almost made a cave. Eisa fell on her hands and knees and stumbled forward to hide from the wind, her heart hammering, sending shocks in her whole body while her head was spinning terribly – she couldn't tell if it was from the violent cold gusts of wind, the exhaustion or the emotions.

She looked up at Loki, still looking royal despite his slightly messed up raven hair. He ignored his hair and only adjusted his outfit, pulling at his sleeves then looking around to check their surroundings. There was nothing in that little cave but a wall and if they wanted to go to the other side of that mountain, they would have to keep climbing and go back down on the other side. But right now, all Eisa could think of was that she was able to lay down and sleep without being scared of falling off the wall.

Then she shivered and surrounded her body with her arms, trying to keep the warmth with her.

"Aren't you cold?" She asked in disbelief at the cool he showed, "I thought Asgardians were sensible to cold?" She continued, tilting her head slightly and shivering another time.

He looked at her, looking surprised she would speak – or just ask something so trivial.

"I've never been much sensible to the cold. My brother is much more, though with the years, he tends to feel more heated than not with his constant desire for fighting and beer," he said with a light voice, "Get up, we're still not here yet," he said.

"Wha— I can't climb anymore! I need to sleep, Loki!" She exclaimed, not knowing how she managed to get up to stand a little away from him, "I won't reach the top of the mountain this night, let's keep going tomorrow morning but let's rest for a while..!" She said, sounding almost desperate as her limbs kept on shaking.

"Oh, but we're almost there," he said with a grin before walking towards the wall.

She sighed, wishing that he would walk into the darkness, hit the wall and fall on his back but he didn't. He lifted up his hands and touched the wall, brushing its surface almost softly, his long pale fingers almost shining under the moonlight. Eisa shivered again at the sound of his skin against the wall, another wish taking over her body but much different from the first.

She focused again when she saw the green seiðr illuminating the hands of the Prince. It shone brighter and brighter until it seemed to merge into the stone. Then the green light disappeared and came back, running through the whole wall, filling intricate patterns and lines. Loki, grinning like a mad man, took a step backwards and admired the seiðr that illuminated the delicate lines from the huge illustration slowly appearing thanks to his green energy. Eisa gasped when she recognized runes and symbols she knew, mixed with others, much more powerful and dark, all of it intricate with lines and drawings. Then, the magic occurred and a heavy sound resonated around them.

She looked back at Loki expectantly as the patterns still shone in a bright green, as bright as his eyes when he turned towards her, smiling mischievously. He offered her a hand and she took it excitedly, smiling back at him as they moved towards the stone.

She hesitated and tried to pull away when he walked straight in the stone but when she closed her eyes to avoid the impact, she didn't feel anything. She frowned as their steps kept advancing even if they should have hit the wall by then. She blinked her eyes open then realized they had arrived somewhere else. She stopped breathing; lifting up her head and gasping at the endless ceiling of the huge cave they had advanced into. She could see rocks, sharp edges and caves that could hide just about anything. Some lost fires were giving a dim, dark light around them, just enough to see where they were stepping. She turned around and saw the fading green lines as the wall returned back to being made of stone.

She looked back at Loki who was still grinning, his eyes filled with mischief and pride.

"So? Did I impress you?" He asked, tilting his head in the most seductive way.

Her heart missed a beat and her fingers tightened around his just enough for him to feel the heat pulsing from her body to his.

"I do hope.. you'll impress me even more in the near future, Loki…" She murmured, her eyes gleaming brightly.

He growled before grinning and giving a nod towards a recess that would protect them in some way.

"Come, we need to rest. We have a long way to the other side tomorrow." He said, pulling her behind him.

"Do you really want to sleep?" She asked, passion bubbling inside of her.

"I don't want you to complain about being tired because I kept you awake." He replied with the same tone. He took some fire that was burning at the edge of a torch and he threw it in the middle of the little cave so they could have fire before settling down, their skin finally parting away despite the warmth it left.

They were both exhausted, but neither of them wanted to sleep. Eisa was too excited for that and she kept staring at him with bright eyes and a huge smile.

"That was some amazing magic…" She finally said, cutting the silence, "I've never seen anything like that before! Just how  _powerful_  are you?" She asked, barely taking in breath of air from her excitement.

He chuckled, an elbow on his lifted up leg, looking back at her intensely.

"You have  _no idea_  what my true power really is…" He murmured with a smirk.

She licked her lower lip, trying not to jump in excitement and ask him to explain the magic spells that were on this rock and how he managed to get them into this huge cave.

"Where are we?" She asked, looking around the place.

His lips tightened just enough to show his nervousness despite his smiling and calm expression. He leaned backwards against a wall and looked around as well.

"This place is everywhere and nowhere at the same time," he said.

She raised her eyebrows and her green eyes became a bright green, silently urging him to say more, her curiosity almost killing her.

"There are numerous passageways between the Nine Realms but this place is one of the most powerful, darkest and dangerous of those passages: it links all Nine Realms together, some way or another."

He leaned forward, lowering his voice to continue, his excitement obvious in his eyes despite the dark vibration of his voice.

"The legends say that some of the most ancient and dangerous creatures live here, some say it's a direct way to Helheim. It's a place so powerful and important that even the Midgardians are aware of its existence: in all of their myths and legends, they talk about a place hiding such dark and ancient powers. Some say it's a labyrinth, others say they're caves hiding dragons and treasures, and others talk about catacombs haunted with ghosts and dark magic…"

She tried to keep her heart from beating at his dark words despite his confident excited smile.

"I didn't know you were interest in Midgardians' cultures…"

"I'm interested in  _all_  cultures. The Midgardians are weak, but it doesn't mean they aren't interesting. They are aware of the existence of those passages and all the dark promises and choices it offers them." He replied with a simple shrug, "In all cases, it is always a crossway." He concluded, his eyes gleaming as he looked back at her.

Her eyes widened in shock and her lips trembled, trying to find words. She gathered her courage as she understood where they were and why Loki was grinning so darkly and mischievously. Her heart hammered in her chest almost violently in sudden fear and her voice almost didn't waver when she spoke up, her voice barely higher than a whisper.

"This place.. a crossway…?" She breathed in disbelief.

He tilted his head on a side with shining eyes and a foolish grin.

" _The_  Crossway?!" She shrieked, her breathing becoming hard from the fear rising in her chest.

"It'll take us to Utgard in no time!" He exclaimed lightly, "There are even legends saying that time stops when we are here. And  _nothing_  without a very powerful magic and rare knowledge could enter this place! Even the  _All Father_  can't come in! We're safe from that thing that was following me and we'll get to Utgard in time."

Her lips trembled and her whole body shook as she leaned forward, trying not to slap him or throttle him.

" _Safe_?! Are you  _mad_?!"

"I consider myself more of a genius," he replied with a cheeky grin.

"Why would you take us to one of the most  _dangerous_  places of  _all_  Nine Realms?!" She exclaimed, not believing how calm he was about the whole situation.

"It's safe if we don't get in the wrong places and make the wrong choices." he simply stated.

She gave a hissing mocking laugh at that, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Yeah!  _Of course!_  How foolish of me?! This place is literally.. the.. the dump of all dark energy, creatures and magic of the Nine Realms! It's  _made_  to make you go mad and to the exact places we  _don't_  want to go to!" She yelled, not caring anymore that he was a Prince.

"I have a plan," he said.

She didn't have any more words to yell at him, or even the strength to argue and kill him – especially when he gave his innocent and proud puppy face like now…

Everyone in the Nine Realms knew about the Crossway: the place being the crossway of all of the Realms, where everything dark, forgotten or cursed was sent to. It had openings in every single Realm and she heard stories about people going through those portals unknown and invisible to even Heimdall and never coming back. Some say that the last of the Dark Elves were hiding in those infinite meanders. It's even said that the Crossway would be the place where the ice of Niflheim met the fire of Muspelheim – or that it is the place also known as the Ginnungagap, filled with Ymir's flesh…

She shivered of terror at the mere thought of all the possible creatures haunting this place…

"We can't stay here…" She breathed, frightened.

"Don't worry, I have a plan," he repeated, clicking his tongue in annoyance at her lack of faith.

" _What_  plan?! What  _kind_  of plan can you have coming into a place so disastrous and.. and..! Dark! Even the Dark Elves would run away from this place! We  _can't_  stay here, we can't survive here and even less reach Utgard alive!" She exclaimed.

He rolled his eyes and she couldn't help herself from finally punching him in the arm. Hard. He almost stumbled down at the strength she put into that punch and he stared at her, not knowing if he should be impressed or insulted by her move. But her red cheeks and her panicked gaze shook him and he sighed, realizing that with the legends surrounding the Crossway, taking her in without at least reassuring her a little, was just going to lead to some unfortunate events he wanted to avoid.

"You remember when I told you that I was interested in all cultures?" He asked, sounding almost soft.

His tone seemed to move her because she calmed down and stared at him, more curiously than angry or scared. Something told him she was more curious about this side of him than what he had to say, but didn't mind for the moment.

"I found something, a powerful weapon and magical item that will guide us through the Crossway to the destination of our choice all the while avoiding the dangers of this place. It will hide us from creatures and will hide most of its darkest paths from us," he explained before leaning forward lightly, his eyes bright in the darkness, "We  _can_  get safely to Utgard, I  _promise_  you." He said with a voice so confident and firm that she didn't know how to react.

She had seen him annoyed (and annoying), angry, proud as a peacock, mischievous… But she never saw him with such an honest expression as if he wanted her to trust him…

"Now, if you are scared, I can get you to safety. But that would mean climbing down the mountain all over again and then leaving you in Jotunheim to come back here alone," he said with an earnest and genuine expression.

She stared at him, her heart beating madly even if she wasn't quite sure if it was from fear or his expression. She swallowed hard, thinking of all the creatures hiding in this place but.. she had never seen Loki so.. honest and almost..  _caring_  for her safety…

Maybe she was curious about the secrets of the Crossway, maybe she was curious about Loki and this new side of him showing little by little now that his shield had started to fade away… But she swallowed and lifted up her chin slightly, wanting to appear proud and confident even if her eyes were gleaming in fear, but mostly, in a weird curiosity she couldn't ignore anymore as she looked at the Prince…

"Well… I can't leave the Prince alone and unprotected in such a place now, can I?" She said hesitantly.

He grinned as an answer and perhaps they both imagined it, but their eyes reflected the same intense curiosity for each other.

* * *

_Some explanations: I love Compared Mythology and I thought about the fact that there were many common points between Norse mythology and others. There isn't a single myth in any mythology talking about a "Crossway" in any way. BUT, as Loki explained: there are myths talking about labyrinth (Greek mythology, Labyrinth of Solomon in Christian mythology), dragons and caves (mostly Norse, but also Greek, Celtic, etc.) and manya others that can be linked to each other in some way. The fact that in Norse mythology the World-tree, Yggdrasil, has Midgard (the human world) in its center and that all places are connected to each other guided me to thinking about a place that would be some sort of center of links and passages to all realms - even some unknown. In this chapter, I also mentioned the Dark Elves - we know from Thor The Dark World that they were "sleeping" in their spaceship, but with legends among the Nine Worlds, I wanted to add a little wink to the movies._

_Niflheim was one of thee two primordial realms, the other one being Muspelheim, the realm of fire. Between these two reals of cold and heeat, creation began when its waters mixed with the heat of Muspelheim to form a "creating steam". In the notheren part of Ginnungagap, the primordal void, lay the intense cold of Niflheim, and to the southern part lay the equally intense heat of Muspeheim. The cosmogonic process began when the effulgence of the two met in the middle of Ginnungagap. Ymir is a primeval being (a cow) born of primordal elemental poison (the "creating steam" from Niflheim and Muspelheim) and the ancestor of all Jötnar (=Giants)._

_If it's not clear, don't hesitate to ask me any question :)_

_NEXT CHAPTER : "GOLDEN THREAD"_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	9. Golden Thread

_Last chapter of this week, I caught up the three I wasn't here. Next chapter next Saturday if it's done beta reading by then! :)_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER IX : Golden Thread

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something has been following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. Loki leads her to a passage in the Mountains that leads to the Crossway: a crossway between worlds hiding the most dangerous creatures but it's the only way for Loki and Eisa to reach Utgard as fast as possible.]_

_Asgard, fourth day of Loki's mission_

Odin kept his hands folded behind his back, lips tight and gaze focused on the horizon even if he didn't see anything.

"Anything else, Týr?" He asked his General and friend.

The brown haired god stared at the All Father who kept his back to him before shaking his head slightly.

"No, Your Majesty."

The One Eye didn't answer, his heart beating steadily but still feeling heavy at the thought of his son lost in Jotunheim and everything he just heard about the Einherjar's report.

"All-Father, if I may…" Týr started hesitantly, taking a step forward.

The blue eye turned sharply towards him but the General continued, seeing the wish of hearing good news he tried to hide in the All-Father's eye.

"The Prince Loki might not shine in battle as much as Prince Thor, but he still knows how to handle a fight. Actually, he is pretty good despite fighting in his own way. Plus he's got his tricks and magic." He explained reassuringly.

The All-Father remained expressionless and after a discreet swallow, Týr spoke up once again:

"He survived a  _dragon_ , my liege. He  _will_  come back from this quest, I am sure of it." He added, his voice sounding slightly impressed before tightening his lips, "Perhaps.. you should trust him more…" He added hesitantly.

Odin flinched before he could control himself and his eye looked at the man. He hesitated a moment before opening his lips:

"I know. I trust him." He said sharply, making Týr feel guilty, "I know better than  _anyone_  that he  _will_  come back…"

He turned his back to Týr once again, frowning at the landscape of Asgard under his eye, his body suddenly tense.

"I worry about  _how_  he will come back…" He murmured to himself.

Not sure he heard well, Týr hesitated, shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other.

"He'll call Heimdall…" He said with a little voice.

Odin looked back at him. The two friends exchanged a gaze, understanding the silent words between them. Týr understood exactly what Odin meant by 'how' Loki would come back, the All-Father knew it. But they both decided to ignore this worry, despite the fact that Týr had no idea of the reasons that kept the All-Father so tense and insecure about his son on a mission in Jotunheim.

"Thank you for your report. You may go." He finally dismissed him with a little nod.

Týr answered with a respecting bow and turned on his heels to leave the All-Father alone with his thoughts. As soon as the door closed, elegant steps resonated in the room. Odin didn't need to look to know who it was.

"I'm worried…" Frigga said, her hands fidgeting anxiously.

He turned to her and after a moment, lowered his gaze. She came to his side, sighing lightly to herself.

"I can see that you are worried too… But I guess not for the same reasons…" She murmured, glancing away sadly.

He sighed and turned towards her, cupping her cheek gently, almost delicately, forcing her to look back at him.

"It's true that I am worried about Loki finding out more than what his mission is destined for. But I am also worried for my  _son_." He said, his voice low.

Her blue eyes shone in worry and thankfulness before holding his reassuring hand, leaning against it and closing her eyes.

"How is Thor?" Odin asked, trying to hide his worry for his elder son.

"He is feeling better, but he is still feverish and unconscious most of the day," she answered before silence fell between them and they remained in the comforting presence of one another, bathed in the final light of the setting sun.

_Crossway, undetermined day of Loki's mission_

"Wake up." Loki ordered, lightly pushing at Eisa's shoulder.

She blinked sleepily, glancing around while he got up and threw her some bread and dried fruits. She caught them before they could hit the dark grey ground of the Crossway.

"Eat, then we'll start going." He said, keeping an eye on the surroundings.

She stared at him before rubbing her eyes and yawning. Loki stared at her, smiling lightly to himself at how cute she could be sometimes. But he would never admit this thought to himself.

"You didn't wake me up. We said we'd take turns in guarding…" She said, frowning at him.

"You were more tired than me, you needed rest. Plus, I was  _finally_  at peace without your incessant blabbering!" He mocked, chuckling at the glare she threw at him.

She ate quickly before they got up and ready to continue their journey in the dangerous Crossway. She stared at him expectantly, her eyes shining in curiosity despite her fear.

"So? What is this magical item you spoke about?" She asked excitedly.

He smirked, lips parting to talk, "Remember when I told you about the Midgardians' legends having our Crossway as a common point?" He asked, continuing after her vivid nod, "Among those stories of Crossways, underworlds and labyrinths, one is particularly interesting."

"What story?" She asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Of a hero who went into a labyrinth to kill a monstrous beast, but to not be lost, he was saved by the wit of the woman he loved. She gave him.. a ball of thread."

Eisa frowned, obviously disappointed by the simplicity of the story.

"Thread? Are you going to play with your ball of thread, little kitten?" She asked teasingly.

He snorted and glared at her before speaking up again, "That ball of thread managed to guide that hero through the labyrinth so he could get out."

"But we're not in a simple labyrinth," she replied.

"Would you  _please_  let me finish this?" He asked, sounding exasperated.

She rolled her eyes but remained silent. He decided to talk before she could speak up once again.

"You were so much more attractive asleep…" He muttered.

"Are you saying you find me attractive?" She asked with a huge smile.

"Don't think so highly of yourself." He replied sternly.

"You're not that bad either, Your Highness," she said, smirking proudly at knowing what he truly thought of her.

"I am much  _more_  than  _that_ , if you knew…" He said, his eyes gleaming happily and smirking despite the situation they were in.

" _Now_ , if you would be so kind, finish that story. What makes that thread so unique - except being the best play for a kitty, of course." She said, mocking lightly.

He sighed, still smiling, amused despite himself.

"That thread is magical." He said, finally getting the reduced item out of his pockets.

Slowly, it grew back to its normal size and Eisa's eyes widened. Loki now held a golden sphere with intricate delicate drawings very similar to the runes and spells they were using in Asgard, but in another language. The sphere was luminous in the dark, as if there was a light as bright as a sun inside. Slowly, lines and rays of light started to escape and swirl delicately around the sphere.

She lifted up a hand and approached with hesitant fingers to the metallic sphere, she didn't have to touch it to feel the warmth from it, and the warmth from the magic in it…

"It's amazing… And so  _powerful_ …" She murmured, leaning even closer.

"It's an item found by a group of Asgardian searchers while they were looking for entrances of the Crossway. It's Greek and I believe it's the ball of thread the story talks about." Loki added when he noticed how fascinated she was. But who wouldn't be captivated by such magic?

"It.. kind of reminds of a mundlaug…" She said, frowning lightly when she observed more closely the golden wisps dancing around the sphere.

Loki smirked before nodding and continuing his explanations:

"A mundlaug is mostly used to catch thieves or see stars during daylight. I think it has some sort of function that could be similar to a mundlaug: a veil of protection against the creatures of the Crossway – like a net, as the spells for magical net we use for the mundlaugar, guiding us through the Crossway – just like stars guide sailors in sea." He explained.

She looked back up at him, lips parted in slight awe before her expression fell and she frowned, tilting her head lightly on a side.

"It's very interesting, but those sound like theories…" She murmured hesitantly.

"Because they are." He answered with a smirk.

"So, our safety in the most dangerous part of the Universe rests on your theories about a Greek ancient magical item?" She asked suspiciously.

"My mother agrees with me." He added as if it would change the weight of his theories.

She stared at him sternly and he puffed his cheeks childishly.

" _And_  Freyja!" He exclaimed, rolling his eyes.

"But! Was it ever tested?  _Proved_? Is there  _any_  way to know if it'll work except when we'll be attacked by the Norns-know-what in this pitch black of darkness?!" She shrieked, throwing an arm in the direction they were taking.

"My father thought it was too risky. But I'm going to prove to him, and everyone else, that  _I_  was right all along!" He exclaimed, his eyes beaming in joy and pride.

"Calm down, stallion, it wasn't proven  _yet_. We might  _very much_  die in here if you're wrong! Do you  _realize_  that?!" She exclaimed, not believing he could be so dense about the dangers that would come to them.

He looked up straight into her dark pine green eyes with such a serious and powerful look that she stepped backwards, swallowing and suddenly nervous. His watery green eyes were shining with so much strength and confidence it could have convinced the wildest of beasts to bow down to his orders. She felt her heartbeat increase almost violently, not knowing what to think when she was looking into those eyes of his.

"I know that better than  _anyone_. If I die, then I will leave my family behind. I know what death means and I am not foolish enough to go in there without a back-up plan. If the Golden Sphere fails, then I will fight my way through the monsters and beasts. I won't die and I won't let you die either." He said with a hard and confident voice.

His gaze softened a little and he took a step forward, their bodies so close they could feel the heat from the other. Eisa blinked at the lack of warmth she felt from his body, but didn't think about it anymore, mesmerized by his eyes.

"Eisa, I can promise you, on my father's name, that I will bring you back to Asgard safe and sound." He said firmly, "I swear it on the Leiptr River." He promised.

Maybe thunder roared to seal the most powerful and fateful oath one can give, but Eisa couldn't hear anything but his breathing, so very close and fresh, tempting her to just get even closer and have a taste. She couldn't see anything but the amazingly bright green eyes. Loki's eyes lowered a moment on her lips and she opened them, wanting to say  _something_ ,  _anything_ , but she couldn't find a single word. He opened his own, his breath stuck in his throat, his eyes still fixed on her inviting lips but then, he looked back up at her and was serious once again. But he didn't try to move away from her.

"I can't force you into anything, but do you want to come with me in the Crossway and find out if this Golden Thread  _really_  is what I think it is?" He asked, his voice low.

She had to force herself to come back to her senses and took a deep breath before answering, her gaze as firm as his.

"How  _dare_  you ask? Adventure is calling! Hurry up, Loki!" She exclaimed, taking the first step towards the darkness.

He smirked, his eyes gleaming with mischief and the golden light from the sphere, a joy he couldn't understand making his heart beat warmly.

"How does it work?" She asked, as they started walking slowly on the path lighted by the scattered sad torches.

Loki frowned at the torches, noticing that they never run out and weren't making a single sound. Not even a sparkle. The only sound they could hear was their steps and their voices.

"Loki?"

He looked back at Eisa who was staring at him, brows furrowed lightly.

"The Golden Thread? How does it work?" She repeated.

He shrugged lightly, glancing away awkwardly when she froze in her steps and stared at him.

" _Really_?" She asked in disbelief.

"I haven't figured it out  _yet_ , but it has more energy and brightness in the Crossway than all those other times I've examined it before." He said, holding the orb firmly in his hand, electricity running from his fingers throughout his entire body.

"I'm pretty sure anything giving light will look brighter in darkness than in daylight." She remarked, her tone mocking.

"Did you figure that out on your own or were you taught so?" He asked with the same teasing voice.

"I just had a moment of brightness, you might consider letting those moments happen to you. That might be helpful." She snorted, smirking at their exchange.

"It  _is_  working." He growled, frowning at her comments.

"What makes you think so?" She asked, looking perplex.

The mischievous god kept on observing the fascinating ball he had in his palm. The wisps of pure golden seiðr kept on getting out and back into the sphere, dancing and swirling around the sphere and his fingers.

"Those wisps appearing and disappearing, don't you think it looks just like a ball of thread?" He suddenly said, blinking at the metallic but warm item he was holding.

She stared at it then her eyes widened when she noticed that it  _did_  look like a ball of thread with the wisps swirling and spinning around in a little haze.

"Just like the story…" She whispered, her curiosity and thirst for more knowledge coming back forth and gleaming in her eyes as brightly as the Sphere.

He nodded then continued, "It never had such a  _bright_  and  _vivid_  reaction until now. And it never gave off  _so much_  warmth and it feels like.."

He frowned lightly, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the patterns of the delicate lines on the sphere's surface.

"Like a heartbeat…"

"Is it  _alive_?" She asked with big eyes.

"No, more.. like a machine working out the right path…" He explained, sensing the little waves of seiðr and power pulsing from the Sphere into his body.

She stared at the Golden Thread then back at Loki and his beautiful face, lighten by the light of the Sphere and the few torches around them, burning constantly in complete silence. His usually pale skin looked like pale gold, his raven black hair had fiery red reflects and his eyes were a gold as bright as the sphere.

"Did your father ever see you like that?" She suddenly asked, breaking the silence.

Loki froze completely, his eyes widening and tearing away from the Sphere to stare at her in shock and disbelief. His eyes were back to its usual colour, but what shook her completely was the look of distraught dancing in them.

"What?" He asked in disbelief, not expecting such a question.

"D-did the All-Father ever see you so.. so  _bright_..?" She asked hesitantly, but the look of awe in her eyes enough to be understood by the god.

Loki's eyes widened once again and his lips parted in shock. His heart missed a beat before hammering so strongly in his chest he almost fell over. He blinked and shook his head, swallowing and glancing away. He quickly put a hand through his hair, looking shaken.

"I-it doesn't matter…" He whispered as if the All-Father could hear him.

He started walking once again, in an almost panicked and hurried walk.

For the first time since Eisa met him, his voice had wavered – just like his heart did when he had realized that it was the first time in his  _whole_  life that someone had told him that he was  _bright_. Not his father, not his brother, but  _him_. He was  _bright_ … Even if only  _one_  person ever noticed it, even if it's just Eisa, it was enough to make hope and happiness pulse through his veins. He would show to  _everyone_  that he was the worthy son of Odin, that he was as  _good_  and  _bright_  as his brother.

He barely even glanced at the gate he walked under, made in the rock itself. It was nothing like the straight golden and beautifully decorated gates he saw every day in Asgard. It was grotesque, the shapes representing tortured souls and monstrous beasts. But he was smirking confidently and brightly as he walked under, staring straight into the darkness, knowing that,  _finally_ , he had his chance to shine and he would take it.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't react when he heard a shocked gasp behind him from Eisa. He kept on walking, even when he heard her hurrying behind him.

"Loki..!" She cried out, grabbing his arm.

He finally turned around and frowned at her, not understanding what was happening. But his eyes widened at seeing her panicked expression, his gaze followed her and he shivered. In the pure darkness, something with bright red eyes was staring at them. The creature seemed bigger than them in height and a deep growl resonated around them. Loki swallowed, unsure of what he should be doing when he couldn't even  _guess_  the features of the monster except that it was big, dangerous and probably a predator that had decided they were  _very_  tasty looking prey…

There was  _no way_  he could fight anything in such darkness and they weren't at their advantage in such a dangerous territory. They could be at the edge of a pitch to emptiness for all they knew. Fighting an unknown, probably very dangerous beast in complete darkness wasn't going to end well for the both of them…

If he was as brave and foolish as Thor, he would stay there and fight. But he wasn't Thor on the level of his so called 'bravery' that Loki just considered as the most imbecilic decisions his brother ever took.

" _Run_ …" He breathed suddenly, taking her hand and suddenly pulling her behind him to run as fast as they could.

* * *

_There are lots of references in this chapter: the Golden Thread is, of course, inspired by the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. Off to slay the beast hidden in the Labyrinth of Daedalus, the hero was given by Ariadne, a ball of thread to be guided through the labyrinth and find his way out. I took this as reference for the Golden Thread of my fanfic - but it's more magical and more "modern" than what the Greek myth says. I wanted to make some mix between the advanced technology of the gods in the Marvel universe and the Midgardian myths._

_For the mundlaug (plural mundlaugar): this brings to mind the occasional recurrence of mundlaugar in Icelandic magic – that is, basins for washing one's hands, the "bowl" that Snorri says that Sigyn holds over Loki. In Icelandic magic a mundlaug is mostly used to help catch a thief, and in one example to see the stars during daylight. (Loki kind of explains all that, but I wanted to put it here another time)_

_Also, when he says that his theories are supported by Frigga and Freyja, it is because, as we know, Frigga taught him magic, she is then a_ _seiðr_ _user. And in the myths, Freyja is the Goddess of Beauty and Magic: she taught the Aesirs the art of_ _seiðr. Which is why she supports Loki's theories: she is an even more powerful magician than Frigga or Loki._

 _Anyway, I hope_ _you enjoyed those three chapters. Don't hesitate (seriously, don't!) to tell me what you think! :D_

_NEXT CHAPTER : PARADISIAC HELL_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	10. Paradisiac Hell

_Sorry for this chapter being so late, I had trouble with my beta readers!_

* * *

 FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF 

CHAPTER X : Paradisiac Hell 

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. They use the Crossway and a magical item that can guide them in the Crossway to reach Utgard but they are attacked by a creature.]_

If he was as brave and foolish as Thor, he would stay there and fight. But he wasn't Thor on the level of his so called bravery that Loki just considered the most imbecilic decisions his brother ever took.

"Run…" He breathed suddenly, taking her hand and suddenly pulling her behind him to run as fast as they could.

They heard a hissing sound behind them but couldn't figure out if it was the predator after them or another kind of creature that had joined the first. They ran for their lives, their way now only lit by the Golden Thread, all torches gone from the gigantic cave they were crossing.

Their hands were entwined firmly, not wishing to let go of one another in the almost complete darkness. Eisa threw a look over her shoulder then heard Loki's breathless scream of alert. He froze, trying to stop her but in her rush, she ran into him and with another gasp from the god, she realized too late what he had tried to prevent. They fell into nothingness.

They both opened their lips to scream in terror before hitting the ground, just a meter down from where they were standing a second ago. Loki growled loudly when he received Eisa's weight on him and she rolled off of him as soon as she realized they weren't diving to their death.

Silence fell on them for a moment before they heard running steps coming from where the beast should be. They turned around, Loki lifted up the orb to light at least a little what was about to jump on them and they prepared for a fight.

Then they saw the red eyes and stopped breathing, only to have very confused expressions on their faces when the red eyed creature stepped into the golden light and meowed.

Loki and Eisa stared with mouth wide opened the little kitten whose eyes had shone red in the darkness before it had decided to follow them, hissing and growling but the sounds reverberated by the rocks had made it sound so much more impressive. The kitten probably was on the top of a rock when he spotted them – which is why he had seemed bigger.

"What?" Loki spitted, not knowing if he should be relieved or ashamed for running away from a kitten.

The little animal blinked and tilted its head on a side at his voice then meowed another time, its tail swinging happily.

"The kitten must have been attracted by the luminescent magical ball of thread." Eisa said very seriously before grinning at her silly joke.

Loki rolled his eyes, clenching his jaw in annoyance while the young girl got back up on her feet and approached the kitten. She held out her hand and the animal ran happily towards her, rubbing its little head and closing its eyes in bliss.

"Don't approach that thing!" He exclaimed when she ignored him completely and stroked the soft fur, "It's in the Crossway, it must be some sort of evil creature! It didn't land here for its soft fur and purring!" He hissed, throwing a hard glare at Eisa.

"But look at that adorable fur ball..!" She exclaimed, while the kitten meowed happily, asking for more stroking.

"Stay away! It could be dangerous!" He exclaimed, glancing suspiciously at the purring kitten.

She stared at him then leaned forward, a scared and panicked expression on her face. Her lips trembled before she spoke up, making Loki nervous and waiting with anxiousness for what she had to say…

" _Run_ …" She breathed, imitating the Prince earlier.

She busted out laughing, keeping the kitten next to her while he glared at her and clenched his jaw and fists.

"You looked so  _scared_! Of a  _kitten_!" She exclaimed, laughing louder than his pride accepted.

"I thought it was..! You saw it like me! And  _you_  were the one who freaked out first!" He replied, pointing an accusative finger at her.

"But  _you_  ran!" She riposted, still grinning and obviously trying not to laugh.

"I thought it was— all right! Just drop it!" He ordered but she only chuckled and laughed another time.

He opened his lips to yell something that would have most probably made his mother pale but was cut when the kitten suddenly decided to jump down the platform and ran the other way.

"Wait!" Eisa called, staring at the running silhouette of the little animal running away from her.

"Let it go." He said with a shrug.

But, as usual, she didn't listen to him and ran after the kitten.

"Wait! Eisa! Wait!" He exclaimed, following her with an exasperated sigh and a lot of growling. "I swear that if you get lost I am  _not_  losing my time looking for you!" He hissed, more to himself than anyone.

"Loki! Hurry up!" She exclaimed, a few steps ahead.

They ran after the kitten – or more likely, Eisa ran after the kitten and Loki was forced to follow. But at some point, the animal disappeared from their view and they slowed down, blinking at the other end of the tunnel.

"Is it me or.. it's getting lighter?" She asked hesitantly.

Without another word, realizing there  _was_  light, they accelerated and almost ran to the other side of the tunnel. They stepped into the light and froze, blinded by the sudden sun above their heads. They moaned and hid their sensible eyes with their hands, waiting to be accustomed to daylight once again.

"Did we arrive in Utgard? Already?" Eisa asked, after blinking and looking around.

They looked, their vision still uneasy. Then their mouths dropped.

"Definitely not Utgard…" Loki finally murmured, not quite believing his eyes.

They stared at the high green grass moving from the fresh breeze, some trees scattered here and there, but mostly, the wild animals living. Most of the animals were eating grass or leaves from the trees and they were mostly unknown for the two Asgardians, but they definitely weren't dangerous or threatening in any way.

Much further, in the distance, there were mountains and what caught their eyes was the huge hull of a ship in the middle of the grass. Even from this distance, they could see that it had been there for centuries, if not more and now in a very bad state…

"Look!" Eisa exclaimed, pointing at a tree.

At first, Loki didn't know what to look at considering the weird animal with a gigantic neck eating leaves in the tree but then, he noticed in the shadow of the tree and between bushes the little kitten running towards other kittens and what was probably its mother. But what struck them was that the 'cat' was much bigger, looking closer to a tiger and had gigantic teeth on either side of its jaws.

"A saber tooth tiger." Loki said, blinking. "I thought those were extinct everywhere but in Alfheim…"

"Are we in Alfheim?" She asked, brows furrowed.

"Not at all, Alfheim has blue leaved trees with lavender trunks, and the grass is milky white and the sky purple and—"

"Got it. Definitely not Alfheim." She said, glancing at the blue sky and green grass. "There isn't any star in the sky…"

Loki glanced up and frowned before looking back at the hull of the gigantic ship.

"No way…" He breathed.

"I thought the Sphere was supposed to guide us to Utgard, where are we?" She asked, looking displeased and uncomfortable.

"It can't be Midgard but… whatever this place is, that might be another world…" He murmured, an amazed smile slowly tugging at his lips.

She stared at him with wide eyes before opening trembling lips:

"Another world? I thought there were..  _nine_  worlds?" She asked in disbelief.

"Nine worlds known. It doesn't mean there isn't another one hidden somewhere!" He exclaimed. "If the Crossway opens  _everywhere_ , then it can open to places we have never even thought of before!"

"Or maybe it's just an illusion."

Loki flinched then glanced at Eisa who kept looking around suspiciously.

"The seiðr," she simply said, sounding tense.

The god frowned then focused and felt it, the seiðr in  _everything_  around them. The trees, the sun, the sky, the animals… Of course, every living being has a certain amount of seiðr, but they are never made  _entirely_  of seiðr.

"If it's an illusion, there must be a trap," he said coldly.

They turned around to go back to where they come from but there wasn't any dark cave anymore. There was only an infinite meadow of grass and trees surrounded by mountains in circle. They turned on themselves, trying to find an exit or anything but there was absolutely nothing but a peaceful landscape of animals living all together.

"I.. shouldn't have followed the kitten, after all…" Eisa murmured nervously, glancing back at Loki who glared at her.

"I'm not going to say that I was right; but I wasn't wrong," he grumbled while she bit her lower lip anxiously, "Remember that the next time you don't listen to me!" He growled while they tried to find an exit from this poisonous Eden.

A few minutes later, after trying desperately to find back the exit, they started to walk. The use of their own hands, the magic or even throwing objects around in the hope of seeing it hit a wall didn't work. They were trapped in some parallel world with only illusions surrounding them.

"I'm sorry!" Eisa exclaimed, almost running behind Loki who kept his fists clenched and his long legs trailing ahead.

"You already said so." He replied coldly.

"Look, I know I should have listened to you! B-but…"

"I  _told_  you everything was dangerous in the Crossway! But you  _didn't_  listen! And  _now_! We're trapped here!" He exclaimed, turning around so suddenly she stopped just in time before running into him.

They stared at each other, his pale green eyes furious while her bright emerald ones were filled with guilt. She lowered her gaze and he was surprised she did so – usually, she kept staring at him until he wanted to strangle her. Strangely, it felt weird that she wouldn't fight back and he blinked, disturbed by the uneasiness he felt at seeing her so submissive.

He finally sighed, his breath fanning over the top of her head. She looked back up and he put a hand through his black hair, running his fingers through it.

"Don't look like that. It doesn't fit your personality…" He said, sounding softer than she thought he would.

After a hesitation, she finally smiled lightly.

"What do you know of my personality? We barely know each other."

He saw the look of challenge in her eyes, slowly taking over the guilt and he couldn't help but chuckle, looking at her with the same look in his own gaze.

"I just know. There are things you cannot hide from me…" He murmured, his voice dropping lightly.

Her eyes gleamed happily and she chuckled before grinning widely:

"Well, there are a  _lot_  of things you don't know about me and a  _lot_  I don't know about you, Your Highness…"

She took a step forward, so that her breasts would brush his torso and despite the clothes between them, Loki had a hard time not growling. Knowing perfectly the effect she had on him, she smirked, her eyes a tempting green.

"But… I would  _love_  if you tried to get to know me… That would be.."

Her voice trailed off before she licked her lower lip, her rosy mouth so inviting Loki had to clench his fists to not suddenly grab her hair and kiss her.

" _Interesting_ …" She finished with sparkling eyes.

She chuckled mischievously and stepped away, letting the Prince finally breath as she turned around and kept walking towards the hull – the only thing that wasn't the exact same around them. He needed a moment to calm down his excited heart and smirked broadly before following her.

"So…" She started, sounding hesitant and breaking the silence between them, "You're not angry at me?" She asked softly.

She blinked up at him and for a moment, he wanted to scream that he could never be angry when she was batting her eyelashes at him like that. But then, he remembered his mission and the situation they were in and he frowned. They both stopped and he looked down at her, anger shining in his eyes once again.

"I still am. There is no way I won't be angry at you for driving us into this place." He said with a hard voice.

He took a few steps to reach her, his arm brushing against her arm and shoulder, his icy green eyes diving into her bright emerald ones. He smiled sweetly, his expression calm and soft while his voice was filled with emotions none of them could quite understand.

"Lady Eisa, I'm afraid I'll need to punish you." He murmured.

She stopped breathing but before she could find anything to say, he grabbed the back of her head by the hair and pulled her backwards. She screamed at the sudden move but her cry turned into a shocked gasp when he bit her harshly, the pale skin of her neck already turning red and purple. He let her go, holding her while she wavered at the emotions and blood rushing to her cheeks. He smirked, highly satisfied by his little effect while she tried to glare at him, but she was blushing too much for that.

"I-is this the only punishment you can think of? You are showing way too much mercy, my Prince…" She whispered, her voice trembling more than she wanted to.

He showed a fake look of surprise and tilted his head on a side, licking his lower lip before answering:

"Punishment? That was just a taste of what I am planning for you, dear Lady Eisa. Do not think me so merciful that I would let you forget your mistakes…"

"You are more sinful than I am…" She murmured back.

He grinned, a joyful gleam shining in his eyes:

"Indeed I am." He said while she couldn't help but smirk back.

He finally let her go and they went back to their walk even if they kept glancing at each other, partly mischievous, partly playful, mostly tempted without admitting it, even to themselves. They were both too proud to admit that the other was slowly invading their thoughts and minds without reprieve.

"You never answered me." She suddenly said.

He frowned lightly, showing his lack of understanding while she spoke up again:

"You never answered me when I asked you if your father ever saw you so bright." She said with a gentle smile.

Loki's lips opened and closed, not knowing what to say and, unable to stare back at her bright green eyes, he focused on his goal straight ahead: the ship hull.

"I doubt he ever even considered the possibility." He said, hard.

Eisa stared at him in silence before opening her lips again:

"Why don't you talk?" She asked curiously, her brows furrowed lightly.

"Why would I talk?" He responded with a little shrug.

"It could do you good, to trust people." She said lightly.

He snorted before looking back at her, his expression disdainful.

"Why would I want that? I'm a Prince of Asgard."

"But, how do you want people to trust you otherwise?" She asked, blinking.

He froze and stared at her, mouth opening lightly before closing and he frowned.

"What do you mean? I don't need such a thing, I am—"

"A Prince of Asgard,  _yes_. I  _noticed_. But you are a living being too, with feelings and emotions. Wanting someone's trust is important, and.. considering how little you trust others, I guess you never had much trust from anyone before…" She murmured, looking away thoughtfully, "You are probably thinking ' _why would I trust someone who doesn't trust_ me _?_ ' but.. this is the kind of things that has to go in both ways. You can't earn someone's trust if you don't have faith in that person as well."

He didn't say a thing but she continued, smiling lightly:

"Why don't you trust  _me_? Talk about you!"

"There isn't much to say about me." He said, his voice colder than he thought it would be.

He blinked at his own voice, shocked to feel a hard feeling invading his heart. But he ignored it, like every time it appeared.

"Then talk about your friends and your family!"

He remained silent for so long that she would he hasn't heard before finally answering, voice still icy.

"You know my family."

She stared at him, silently observing him to understand how he thought before finally speaking up again.

"I know how they appear to be: a wise King, a kind Queen, a brave Heir… And a second Prince lost in the shadow of his brother…" She murmured, looking at him sadly.

Loki's steps slowed but he didn't stop, only swallowed despite himself. She continued, her voice resonating in his head while the beating of his own heart sounded hollow in his entire body, pulsing a cold blood in his veins. Cold by the anger slowly bubbling inside of him, of jealousy of always being in his brother's shadow to the point that any commoner would notice it, of  _fear_. For feeling so lost and afraid. And for being  _jealous_ …

 _It's not right… I shouldn't feel this way, I shouldn't think that…_  He thought to himself, taking in deep breath to calm his heart.

"You're wrong…" He breathed, but he couldn't hear himself.

She didn't either and continued, too artless to be aware of the trouble and emotions clashing within the god at her sides.

"But how are they really? I don't want to know about the King, the Queen or the Princes. I want to know about the father, the mother and the brothers. This is so much more interesting, to know about your family and your relationships with them rather than the perfect family picture that you appear to be to everyone in the Nine Realms."

She looked back at him with a sweet smile:

"Don't you think so? That it's more interesting to know the real  _you_  rather than the mask you show us all…"

Loki's steps slowed down even more before he frowned and stopped, looking at a point in emptiness without really seeing anything.

"The real..  _me_?" He repeated hesitantly.

He stared at her and she stopped too. She frowned, not understanding his trouble.

"Yes, the real you." She repeated with a little nod.

"I'm a Prince of Asgard…" He said, looking straight into her eyes.

But even to himself, it sounded like a lie. As if he was trying to convince himself he was one. For the first time in his life, he felt.. like he didn't belong to Asgard at all, as if he wasn't who he pretended to be…

And that scared him more than anything else in the Nine Realms. His thoughts turned towards his mother, his brother and his father, a sudden panic rising in his throat. He wanted to yell, he wanted to cry, he missed them all and he wanted to be a little child once again, going to his mother for reassurance and comfort after a nightmare…

"Loki…" Eisa murmured, attracting his attention back to her, "You are so much more than that…" She whispered.

She smiled at him so genuinely and honestly that he felt his heartbeat increase. But unlike the cold beats of panic he felt moments ago, this time it was warm and reassuring. Not the same kind of reassurance his mother gave him when he was a child and he was scared of the Jotunns stories he heard about. It was a reassurance that made him want for more, he was craving for the warmth Eisa just gave his heart and the peace she just brought to him. Something even his mother never managed to do…

He stared at her, astonished to feel so many intense emotions in so little time but when his light green eyes met hers, so beautiful and powerful, he casted aside all of those feelings of loss, panic and fear. He wasn't alone, he was with Eisa (no matter how annoying she could be) and he felt warmer by her side – even if he couldn't explain  _those_  strange feelings and sensations…

Realizing he had remained silent, Loki coughed awkwardly before glancing at her once again.

"Y-you think?" He asked hesitantly, sounding almost fragile and breakable.

She seemed to finally understand his state of mind and smiled sweetly, reaching out her hand to rub it against his arm, as comforting as she could be.

"I think that I am impatient to get to know the real you a little more…" She said confidently.

Once again, the mad beatings of his hear sent waves of warmth and he smiled, almost chuckling and pretty sure he looked like a fool.

"Come on, we should keep going before the sabre-toothed tigers get hungry!" She exclaimed, starting to walk once again towards the hull.

He smiled and they kept on walking under the paradisiac sun. Even if everything around them was an illusion, at least, Loki knew that if he looked at Eisa, he would see something true. Something that was neither a lie nor an illusion.

They finally arrived towards the hull that seemed even bigger than from afar. When Loki took out the Sphere from his pocket, it started to shine and react. After entering this fake paradise, the Golden Thread had started to stop emitting any wisp of light that were usually guiding them in the Crossway. Loki had put it back in his pocket but  _now_ , it was reacting again.

"We might be close to the exit," he said, taking a step forward.

"Wait!" She exclaimed, suddenly grabbing his sleeve.

His eyes glanced down at the hand around his wrist but didn't say anything, only looked back at her face when she spoke up:

"If this whole place is an illusion, it might be a trap. Even the exit! We might be in danger if something awaits us on the other side – or whatever.. side there could possibly be…" She said hesitantly.

"The Sphere protects us, look, it's working again. It means we're going back to the Crossway and to our way to Utgard." He said.

"But what if—"

"Eisa," he said, cutting her so she would look at him, "You are safe with me. I promised you I would bring you back to Asgard safe and sound, you remember? And I  _will_. I might be a liar, but I  _always_  keep my promises…" He said before taking her hand and squeezing it, as reassuring as he could be, "We stay together and we'll be fine…" He murmured with a little confident smile.

She stared at him for a long moment before mirroring his smile, flushing lightly at her own words:

"You said 'we'…" She whispered.

He froze, his heart missing a beat. He opened his lips to say something but his throat was suddenly dry… He blinked and forced himself to find a proper answer.

"We're in this together, aren't we?" He asked.

But she smiled lightly, knowing exactly that his "we" sounded different than before.

"We're in this together." She repeated, squeezing his hand and giving a tiny nod.

He nodded back and they turned towards the hull, following the golden wisps of the Sphere to be guided. They walked straight towards the wooden hull and hesitated when the wisps wanted them to walk right into the wood. Eisa advanced her free hand towards the wood but instead of touching it, a green shimmer shone, proving that it was just an illusion. They glanced at each other before taking a step towards the passage hidden by the hull illusion.

As soon as they stepped in, they lost their footing with a yelp. They weren't on the ground anymore, but they weren't falling into the void. They fell on their butts and started to slide at high speed down a slope. Their entwined hands only squeezed each other more strongly. The only light came from the Golden Sphere and they could see they were in some sort of gut made of black rock. The passage grew more and more sharp by the minutes as they slid down, increasing their speed.

Eisa glanced at Loki but couldn't see his face well considering the speed at which they were falling and the lack of light, but suddenly he gasped, his eyes widening. She followed his gaze and stopped breathing.

Right in front of them, the gut was separating into two different ways with a huge sharp rock in the middle. Loki tried to use his feet to slow down but he growled and stopped, only getting hurt.

"Eisa!" He called.

He threw her the Sphere and she managed to catch it right in time. Her heartbeat only increased in panic when his hand let go of hers but she then saw the green light of his seiðr illuminating his hands and face. He threw a spell at the rocks and guts in front of them, but she didn't have time to try to have a look that they suddenly turned, taking the turn on the left.

"Loki!" She screamed to cover the wind that was hitting their faces as they kept on accelerating.

"Your hand!" He shouted, reaching for her.

But then, the rock on which they were sliding disappeared and they realized with a cold fear that they were dropping right towards a huge cavern. They saw high walls about a hundred meters down of them. But the main problem was that they were falling right towards them, without a way to catch themselves on anything. They shouted as they fell towards their most probable death.

* * *

_So, no big monster hunting them down. Just an illusion — just like pretty much everything else! :P_

_The hull and the paradisiac place are references to the myth of Noah and the flooding. And for Nilfheim, we don't see it in the MCU so I imagined how it could be. Considering it's the World of Light Elves, I thought it to be pretty and light and all~_

_NEXT CHAPTER: MIRRORS OF THE PAST_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	11. Mirrors of the Past

 

FANFICTION 

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF 

CHAPTER XI : Mirrors of the Past 

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. They use the Crossway and a magical item that can guide them in the Crossway to reach Utgard but they are attacked by a creature which turns out to be an innocent baby saber tooth tiger. They land into some place filled with illusions and when they finally find a way out, they fall into some empty place and are separated.]_

Loki grunted, feeling his whole body in pain. But if there was pain, he was alive. He blinked his eyes open and tried to look around before slowly realizing he was lying on his stomach, in the dirt. He rolled over, his entire body aching as he lay there, breathing hard and staring up at the dark ceiling. There was a low light, but he couldn't figure out where it came from. He only knew that there were high smooth walls and about two hundred meters above his head, the rocky ceiling.

He was covered in scratches and bruises but he was pretty sure his body wasn't broken in any way – mostly thanks to his seiðr he used to protect himself the best he could. He started to think of the reasons of his landing there.

Slowly, memories came back: the spies, the threat of war against the Mountain Giants, his mission. The Crossway, the Golden Sphere and—

"Eisa..!" He breathed, his voice raspy and low.

He sat up and looked around but he was all alone; Eisa wasn't here with him. Neither was the Sphere. The last time they had been together sliding down the tunnel, he had thrown it at her so he would be able to use his seiðr at full power. But now they had landed somewhere else in this labyrinth. He only hoped she wasn't dead and hasn't lost their only way of getting out of here alive.

He looked around but couldn't see any sign of presence of anything. He tried to listen for a voice, a step,  _anything,_  but it was completely  _silent_. So silent he felt fear creeping up in him, tangling around his heart.

He shook himself almost violently, refusing to let fright take over him. He had a mission to accomplish. For his father, for his family and for himself. And in order to execute this mission he needed the Sphere – and Eisa had it. He needed to find them and focus on that.

Taking the direction she might have fallen to, he started to walk; with difficulty at first from his aching body, but he blessed the Æsir fast healing metabolism and his centuries of training as a warrior because he slowly walked at his regular pace. His muscles were still aching terribly, and he could feel the bruises getting darker at every one of his steps, but he ignored the pain and kept going.

At some point, he found some vine and he managed to climb to the top of a wall. But the only thing he saw was the immensity of the labyrinth, without any pattern he could follow or understand. It was a maddening maze and finding one person, or even one magical item, was probably impossible… But Loki didn't like the word " _impossible_ " and he had a habit into getting rid of the " _im_ ".

But after following some walls and rooms leading to dead ends, as he tried to come back on his steps, he realized with dread that he was utterly and completely  _lost_.

The myths and stories he had read as a child, then older, for his researches for the Crossway crept up in his mind despite him, his own words haunting his thoughts.

" _The legends say that some of the most ancient and dangerous creatures live here. A place so powerful and important that even the Midgardians are aware of its existence. They talk about a place hiding dark and ancient powers. Some say it's a_ labyrinth _…"_

Loki tried not to think about the fact that he was most definitely lost in a labyrinth and tried to ignore the particular legend he has read about.

" _A labyrinth, hiding a_ hideous beast _that each year,_ devoured _seven young men and young women. A_ merciless monster _, half human and half bull. Just like the Labyrinth of Solomon that represented with its inextricability the image of life with its ways and deceptions that_ lead to death."

The young man stopped breathing when he heard a monstrous roar echoing through the labyrinth. He got so scared he jumped and fell against a wall, holding onto it and watching with frightened eyes all around him, searching for any sign of a creature. He suddenly froze, watery green eyes widening considerably as he stared just in front of him at the opposite wall. He swallowed and pushed himself away from the wall and slowly walked forward, not believing what he was seeing. But once he was right in front of it, he tilted his head on a side, lips parting and his breath coming short. He approached a trembling hand, his fingers tracing hesitantly the trails of five parallel marks across the wall. Marks that were too close to claws to be a human, but too close to a human hand to be a simple animal. Wide, terrible, frightening marks of claws scarring this wall…

" _A hideous beast."_

" _A merciless monster."_

" _Lead to death…"_

" _Death. Death. Death. Death..!"_

" _You're going to die, Loki!"_

"Who said that?!" He suddenly yelled, turning around sharply and taking his daggers in his hands, but he was shaking.

He observed the darkness but didn't see anything. He heard a laugh, but it could have been the wind resonating through the walls. He didn't feel a single breeze of air, but that couldn't be anything else, right?

He swallowed hard, glancing back to the wall but the wall was gone. Just like the claws marks. Did he dream it all? Did he see an illusion? Maybe he hit his head harder than he thought after his fall…

He slowly put the daggers back into their sheathes and tried to steady himself, pulling at his cloak to put it right. He lifted up his head and glanced around, looking mistrustful but he took a deep breath to calm down.

He looked around. There was a wall on his right, but he had only one way to go: forward, the other ways were dead ends.

He took a step forward right when another of his thoughts resonated in his head.

" _In all cases, it is always a_ crossway _…"_

He gasped when he realized that the wall he had been following, just like the path he had walked on, were gone. He swallowed, breathing steadily becoming harder and harder as he slowly turned around on himself and realised he was now on a  _crossway_. He was in the middle of a cross with four ways possible: one in front of him, one behind, two on each sides of him. But it had appeared suddenly, without even a move, without him realizing it…

"This maze is playing with my mind…" He breathed to himself, talking out loud more to break the intense heavy silence than anything.

He narrowed his eyes at each way, but the road seemed infinite, without even an end unlike all the ways he had seen until now: he could see the dead ends, where it turned, but now, the four ways were stretching infinitely without an end. He tried to use his seiðr but he was either too weak after using so much or too disturbed to focus – or both…

Suddenly, he gasped, his heart missing a beat when he saw his father right in front of him, half hidden in the darkness.

"F-father..?" He breathed, not believing Odin would be in such a place. It wasn't possible, he didn't know how to enter in the Crossway, how could he come in here?

"Loki…" Odin called.

"Father?" He repeated, frowning and sensing his heartbeat increasing as he took a step forward.

"Loki…"

He froze and glanced with eyes widened in fear at his left, seeing his mother, showing him her hand as she always did when he was angry or sad.

"Loki, come…" Frigga repeated with a smile.

He couldn't see her face, it was too dark and when he looked back to where Odin was, he hadn't moved. He hadn't smiled, his body seemed to reject Loki himself even from this distance. Just like he always did, he always stepped away from Loki as a child, as he grew up, even now as he was proving himself a great warrior and a skilled strategist, Odin didn't want of his second son.

"Brother…"

Loki's heart missed a beat and he turned to his right, seeing Thor, holding Mjollnir and his red cape looking like a waterfall of blood…

"Brother, please…" He repeated.

"T-Thor..?" The raven haired man whispered, frowning at the figure of his brother.

None of them were supposed to be here, it wasn't right, something was  _wrong_.

"Loki." Odin called, urgent in his voice that forced his son to look back at him.

"Loki, save us." Frigga pleaded, her voice trembling with tears, making her son's eyes tear up as well.

"Brother, help." Thor begged, sounding desperate and betrayed.

"S-stop…" Loki breathed, trying to look back on the ground, but he was unable to tear his eyes away from the figures that kept calling him.

"Loki…"

"Loki, you need to save us…"

"You need to choose which one of us you'll save,  _brother_ …"

"Loki,  _please_ …"

"I'm your  _mother_ , Loki…"

"Loki, obey your  _father_."

"Loki…"

" _Loki_ …"

"Which  _death_  will you choose?"

"Which one will you  _kill_?"

"Loki…"

"Brother…"

"LOKI!"

He wanted to scream but his voice was strangled and he was unable to. But when he looked up in complete panic, he saw his father and for the first time, he wasn't darkened. He could see his face's features, he was pale and his one good eye was closed and the young god recognized the weakening Odinsleep.

"Loki, choose."

"Loki, please!"

His green eyes darted to Thor and he saw with horror that Mjollnir had fallen on the ground. Just like his brother's hand, resting on the dusty ground. When Loki looked up in horror at his brother, his nose was bleeding and his eyes crying, his wide blue eyes filled with sadness, betrayal and guilt.

"Brother, why?" He asked in a breath.

"I-I didn't.." He murmured, taking a step backward in complete terror, not believing his eyes.

"Why did you do that..?" He continued, his voice shaking.

"N-no…" He breathed, panting in complete panic.

"Why didn't you save me, Loki?"

He turned around at his mother's voice, shaking when he saw her falling on the ground, blood tainting her blue dress. He opened his lips to scream but was unable to. He felt like falling to his knees but he didn't have time because he heard another voice resonating around him; or in his head, he didn't know anymore.

"You could have saved her. You could have saved them all, Loki…"

He turned around, behind him and he stopped breathing, his heartbeat increasing even more. He stared at himself. The fourth member of the family. But it wasn't him. The Loki he was staring at was darker and he looked at Loki with a gaze filled with pity, sadness and guilt…

"Look at what you've done…" He murmured, shaking lightly his head.

"N-no, I-I didn't.." He started, but his voice was barely hearable, his other him taking a step forward.

Suddenly, without even looking, Loki knew that the ghosts of his family had disappeared, just like the different passages. There was only his own ghost.

"You didn't choose to save them, you've  _doomed_  them to their fates! Look! Look at what you've done!" He exclaimed, his voice vicious.

Loki jumped and breathed hard, shaking his head, taking a step backward but his other self, his darker self that seemed so mad and enraged took another step towards him in a threatening way.

"You've  _killed_  them, Loki!"

"N-no.."

"You're a  _monster_!"

"No! I'm not!" He yelled.

"Don't deny your true nature! You're a monster!" The ghost yelled back, tears streaming down his face.

"NO! I'm not!" He cried out, jumping away and throwing his daggers at the ghosts.

The mad angry Loki gave away a breathless gasp when he received the daggers and he turned his pale broken gaze towards the panicked and scared one. Loki would have expected any reaction except a relived sad smile appearing on his greying face…

"I'm a fool… I'm a fool…" He murmured until his voice faded away.

Loki didn't look away, didn't blink but suddenly, his ghost was gone. He swallowed, looking and turning around, but he was suddenly back to the maze with the wall on his right and the path leading forward.

He tried to ignore the voices of his family, his own mad voice echoing in his mind but he knew he could  _never_  forget those visions. He could ignore them, but something told him in the back of his mind that it would never leave him. One day, it would come back, and it would haunt him again…

He took some hesitant steps forward, hardly breathing and still shaking from the visions. He was sweating and his heart kept on hammering against his chest. Unable to take another step, he fell more than leaned against the wall, holding onto it with trembling hands, staring right in front of him with wide panicked eyes, terror and horror still dancing in his pale green orbs…

"Visions… J-just  _visions_.. they're  _not_  here, they're  _safe_ … This isn't what is happening, this isn't what  _will_  happen… This  _isn't_.. i-it's just the—"

Loki froze when he realized that the word about to escape his lips was " _truth_ ".

"I-I'm not a monster…" He murmured, closing his eyes and ignoring the tears rolling down his cheeks silently, "I-I'm Loki O-Odinson.. of.. Asgard…" He whispered. "I-I'm Loki Odinson. I am Loki Odinson…" He repeated in a loop, in a low shaking voice.

He was panting and he tried to clear his mind, despite the haunting visions, despite the words echoing in his mind. Despite all of that, he forced himself to focus on one thing only: his mission. He had to reach Utgard and for that, he had to get out of this nightmare, this maze. To get out of the labyrinth he needed—

" _I found something, a_ powerful weapon _and_ magical item _that will guide us through the Crossway. It will hide us from_ creatures _and will hide most of its_ darkest paths _from us. She gave him.. a_ ball of thread."

"The Golden Sphere…" He breathed, opening his blurry eyes again, "Eisa."

He blinked away the last tears, wiping them angrily – against himself, against his tears, his fears and the terrible visions.

"Eisa…" He repeated, looking up and moving forward.

It didn't take long for the maze to play with his mind again, but the Prince was too foggy, too disturbed to think straight and as soon as he saw a golden thread on the ground, he jumped forward. After all, there were little chances Eisa could have kept the item in her hand as they fell, it makes perfect sense that the Golden Sphere would have fallen somewhere else and Loki was lucky enough to find it again.

But as soon as his fingers brushed the golden light, it disappeared and exploded. He blinked, on his knees and looked up. No, the Golden Sphere – or its  _illusion_ , apparently – hadn't exploded. Golden light had invaded the walls of the labyrinth. He frowned, looking around and realized he wasn't in the maze anymore, he was in  _Asgard_. The white and golden warm room seemed familiar but in the same time, there was something off he couldn't quite understand.

Did he fall through one of the Crossway's passage directly to Asgard? He couldn't believe he was  _so_  lucky as to fall directly back at his home. He shook his head, almost slapping himself for even  _wishing_  to be home when he had a  _mission_  to accomplish.

He looked up and finally recognized the room: it was the bedroom Thor and he had spent their childhood in and he looked at the bed that had seemed to be giant for them when they were little boys, swallowing them into layers of sheets and furs.

His heart missed a beat when he saw his mother, sitting on the edge of the bed. Alive and well, the blood on her dress gone.

"Mother!" He exclaimed, smiling foolishly and about to jump on his feet to hug her.

"Mother!" Another voice echoed to his.

He froze, still shaking on his knees on the ground before realizing that his mother was facing whoever was in the bed. And his heart squeezed painfully when he saw two heads, one blond, one black under the covers, behind his mother's silhouette.

"Mother!" Called the voice again.

Loki's voice got stuck in his throat as he realized that it was  _him_. But unlike the mad ghost of himself, this was a  _memory_ , of himself as a child, with his brother when Frigga was telling them stories to fall asleep…

"Are you reading us  _Sleeping Beauty_  again, Mother?" Child-Thor asked.

Loki almost smiled at the memory of the first Midgardian story he ever heard of, from his dear mother…

"Thor is scared of the Dragon Maleficent." Child-Loki said, even so young he was already teasing his older brother…

"I am  _not!"_ Thor exclaimed, glaring at his brother and pouting.

"Now, now, boys. When you are feeling afraid or sad, remember that you have your brother beside you. Brothers protect each other." Frigga said with a soft voice.

"Even if he's really annoying?" Loki asked, making the adult version of himself chuckle lightly.

"I am  _not!"_

" _Especially_  when he annoys you. Or when he turns you away, when he is cruel or even when he hurts you; never forget that you are brothers. And brothers protect each other…" She repeated.

Loki blinked and when he looked up, he wasn't a child in his room anymore, with his brother protecting him and his mother telling them Midgardian stories. He was in the labyrinth, in the Crossway, lost and afraid.

He looked around and fell on his butt, staring at the infinite ways and roads, all ready to trap him and slowly kill him with his memories and haunting visions of horror…

He suddenly didn't feel any strength. Not to get up, not to find the Sphere or Eisa, not even to cry or yell… He remained still, kneeling on the dusty ground, feeling empty without really knowing what was the cause of it. The pain, the exhaustion, the emotions? He was missing his family and his home and he almost cursed himself for wishing to take on this mission. Why did he decide that again? Why did he decide to walk away from his home? Why did he leave it behind?

" _I shall make you proud father!"_ He has exclaimed back there, just proud and happy to have a chance to shine. A chance to be more than just a shadow behind his bright brother.

What was the point of it anymore? Why did he want to shine? He was just fine in the darkness as long as he had his family…

 _But it's not enough…_  He thought, his jaw clenching lightly.

"Look at you…"

He jumped up and around, taking a defensive position and stared at Eisa who was smirking darkly at him. But it wasn't Eisa, it was another of the labyrinth's illusion created to drive him crazy – and unfortunately, the maze was making an  _excellent_  job at that.

"You're so  _pathetic_ , Loki…" She added with a snarl, walking around him in a circle like a predator would.

"Go away." He said, shocked to hear his own voice hoarse from his crying earlier.

He frowned, trying to keep his will but she only smirked more, her red lips mocking him and her green eyes dancing with joy to see him like that.

"You're just an illusion." He repeated with a firmer voice.

If he had any chance to go back to his family, it would be by starting to get out of this labyrinth and he would fight everything coming his way if necessary. He was a proud Prince and a fierce warrior, he wouldn't be broken so easily and certainly not by some walls.

"Am I?" She asked, tilting her head. "More than an illusion, I am your  _fear_. Your deepest, worst fear, Loki…"

"You don't know my fears. You know  _nothing_  of me!" He hissed, clenching his fists.

She stopped and stared down at him, her auburn hair taking a slightly redder appearance, as if set on fire, just like her gaze. It was a bright green but it was enchanting and swirling like a fiery beacon in the night.

"On the contrary, Loki. I know  _everything_  about you." She said with so much conviction it shook him.

Suddenly, she was at his throat, her nails brushing his jaw in a way that could have been seductive if her eyes hadn't been so cold and vicious. She was dangerous, like a predator playing with her prey knowing it will end up dead between its claws and teeth no matter what.

"I can  _tear_  you apart at any moment, Loki. I can break you into  _pieces_  to the point you won't even be able to recognize your own reflection."

Feeling unease at such discomfort, Loki swallowed and she noticed it because she smiled even more.

The second that followed she was back circling around him and he took a deep breath, trying to steady himself and not be disturbed by this maddening illusion. Like all the others, it would just open wounds and make him bleed.

She tilted her head on a side, as if she could read his thoughts and seemed amused by the image.

"You're right, Loki. Let's do that. Let's make your wounds bleed."

He frowned but she continued, walking quietly and elegantly around him, dressed with a fiery voluptuous red dress that seemed to fly around like sparkles would increase a fire.

"You think the maze created them, but it's not the case: it had always been there, hidden deep down in your heart. Those fears and those thoughts you never admitted even to yourself."

She turned to face him, her smile making him shiver in sudden fear at the words that would follow:

"The fear that you will  _never_  be  _enough_ ,  _never_  be  _accepted_ , by  _no_   _one_."

"I am enough! I am accepted!" He exclaimed almost feverishly, "I am a Prince of Asgard!" He yelled.

"Are you?" She asked with an amused look. "The truth is: you hate it all. You hate  _them_  all!" She hissed, sounding as disgusted as he suddenly felt.

He gave a nervous chuckle, trying to shake off the cold feeling surrounding his heat but she continued, each and every one of her words hitting him like a wave.

"You want them dead!"

"No!" He exclaimed, frowning and shaking his head, "They're my family!"

"Are they? Do they  _treat_  you like family?" She asked.

He opened his lips but no word would escape them. He swallowed, a shudder running down his spine as she continued, her voice hard, her gaze cold and her face serious:

"Did your brother ever  _realize_  how misunderstood and how  _lonely_  you are? Did he ever treated you like an  _equal_? No, he never did."

He froze, trying to push away the thoughts that starting to invade his mind.

 _She's right… No. No, she's not. Thor is my brother._  He said to himself, shocked he even started to think she could tell the  _truth_.

"The only thing he knows is that he is the future King of Asgard and he doesn't need a  _prick_  like you; after all, you are  _nothing_  alike. He is strong, handsome, adored and  _powerful_. When you are weak, different, mischievous and  _bad_. He is everything everyone  _adore_ , and you are everything everyone  _hate_. You are  _despicable_ , Loki; and you  _know_  it!" She spitted, looking him up and down disdainfully.

"Your mother, oh, your dear mother. She  _pitied_  you so much she taught you magic! She felt  _sorry_  for her  _despicable_  son!" She exclaimed, hurting him deeper than he thought possible.

"And the  _worst_? Your father  _knows_  it,  _everyone_  does. You will never be enough for your father! After all, how  _could_  you? You are  _nothing_  but deceptions and illusions!"

She paused, looking suddenly highly amused before turning towards him with a smirk:

"Oh? Just like this labyrinth, aren't you?" She asked as he swallowed and tensed even more, his fists clenching as a dreadful feeling invaded his insides painfully, "Your tricks and illusions have gained you nothing but being despised and scorned! You are nothing but a series of deceiving trickery, pretending to be someone you're not! You are a danger, a threat for all of Asgard and the Nine Realms!"

"No! I'm not! I'm a Prince working for the good of Asgard!" He exclaimed, but even  _he_  didn't seem convinced by it.

"You hate them! You hate them for treating you like a constant disappointment! You hate them for looking down at you, for discarding you aside! Let's eliminate the dark Prince Loki, and let shine the Mighty Thor!"

"Shut up…" He murmured, clenching his fists until he was shaking.

His gaze had turned colder and darker as she continued her speech, anger boiling in him. He tried to ignore it, but the burning pit in his stomach of pure fury was slowly rising to his heart, taking over it no matter how much he is trying to fight it off. But this fury wasn't caused by the labyrinth and the illusionary Eisa. It was her  _words_ , the  _memories_  of all those times his father looked away from him, all those times Thor laughed and walked away from him completely unaware of his hurt and loneliness, all those times Frigga posed a worried, sorry gaze on him as she thought he wasn't seeing those emotions in her eyes. All those times people looked down at him at the court, how he is mocked and being ridiculed constantly by Thor, the Einherjar, the Warrior Three or Sif. How people walk away from him and whisper words they think he can't hear. But he  _does_ , he hears  _everything_. And everything  _hurts_ …

" _He is such a failure."_

" _I can't believe Odin has such a son. I am so sorry for him…"_

" _He is so different from Thor! Thor is so bright and this Prince is so.. disappointing."_

" _He is nothing like his father and brother."_

" _He is Loki, after all."_

"Just face it, Loki." Eisa said, suddenly in front of him.

She looked at him with pity for a moment, which only made him even more furious, his eyes turning cold and raging, ready to strike her. He wanted to grab her neck and break it, to make her shut up as if it would shut up everyone else who ever talked in his back.

But then, a bright light appeared in her eyes. He couldn't tell what it was, determination or madness, but it made him curious and he hesitated just long enough for her bright red lips to open again:

"You want your revenge Loki, you want power."

He swallowed and felt his heart drop, his eyes wide in fear, distress and fury. But he couldn't lie to himself anymore. She was telling the truth. He couldn't tell if he craved for revenge or power, but he wanted  _something_. Something that would be  _his_ , something that wouldn't have been made by his father before, something that couldn't belong to his brother, something that  _no one_  ever did before, something that would be  _his and solely his_.

"You want the power to show them all that you are  _worth_  something, that you are a  _true_  Prince of Asgard."

He breathed deeply, imagining with a cold satisfaction the shocked look they would make if he ever managed to reach this point. Shining brighter than Thor, even for a moment, getting out of the darkness everyone pushed him into.

"Loki, you  _are_  powerful. You are worth something better than what you are right now. You can  _have_  it, you just have to reach out your hand and  _grasp_  it. This power, you can  _have_  it, you can be who you truly are…" She whispered, leaning forward.

Her fingers brushed his jaw, but unlike the first time when he was unable to pull away despite his will, this time, he wanted to take her hand in his and look into her eyes to see another time this bright light of passion he couldn't understand. She smirked as if satisfied by his reaction when his angry eyes looked down at her, icy green meeting emerald green and collapsing against one another like swords.

"This is why I am here Loki…" She whispered, their gazes not leaving one another, "I am here to show you what you are capable of: I am a fiery being, just like your anger. Take it in, take  _me_  in, and you'll have the power to do as you wish…" She breathed.

She leaned forward, breathing against his lips. He stopped breathing, lips parting as he tried to control himself.

"This lust.. this fiery burning passion that you feel.. it's  _me_ , and your  _rage_ … Take it all in,  _accept_  it, Loki…" She breathed, biting his lower lip.

He growled and advanced forward to capture her lips but she had jumped away, laughing madly, her cold laugh resonating around them. Suddenly, she was on fire. And the entire room was surrounded by high flames that made his eyes turn into a fiery gold. He could feel the intense warmth emanating from the flames, but it didn't approach him, it only surrounded them. Her red hair was sparkling, and her dress was flying around ferociously at the same rhythm as the flames as she looked down at him with eyes so cold it burnt him completely.

He stopped breathing, as if back to himself and blinked, not knowing what to feel or what to think,  _unable_  to…

"This is what you are  _destined_  for, Loki!" She exclaimed, a violent satisfaction shining in her eyes as the fire burnt brighter.

He blinked, trying to see through the sparkles and the blinding fire – or perhaps it was Eisa who was blinding. But he was burning, whether it was from the flames or from rage, he didn't know but his heart was beating madly and for the first time in a long time, he felt  _right_.

"Loki!"

He froze and turned around, seeing another Eisa. He looked between the fiery one approaching her hand to invite him while the other was running towards him, a golden light in her hand.

"Loki!"

"Loki, come!" The fiery vision asked him.

He watched the fiery mad Eisa and the one who was running to him, looking scared, desperate and terribly relieved.

Then everything crashed back to him: his mission to reach Utgard, the reasons pushing him forward, the reasons why he was in the Crossway and this labyrinth in the first place, his promise to Eisa… The  _real_  Eisa, the one running towards him, not the fiery illusion that was trying to tempt him to abandon everything.

And then he thought about all his bad thoughts of the last minutes: the guilt and powerless he felt as he saw his family killed, how he was accused of being a monster and how he  _felt_  like one before being burnt by this fiery illusion who was trying to convince him he didn't have a family or a home.

" _Never forget that you are brothers. And brothers protect each other…"_

He might be rejected, a shadow, but he was  _loved_  by his family. He  _knew_  it and he'd rather reject this power she promised and spent an eternity of loneliness watching over his loved ones than betraying them all.

Suddenly, all the rage, the sadness, the loneliness he had felt these past decades and the huge amount of fury that had been exposed, bleeding out his old wounds with this witch, it all came out.

He fell on his knees, throwing his head backwards and yelling his rage out, clenching his fists until his knuckles turned white. He yelled for so long he felt as if his throat was being ripped off, his desperate raging voice echoing in the entire labyrinth, if not the whole Crossway. His seiðr exploded around him, tearing away all illusions of fire and fake Eisa who disappeared with a strangled scream.

He didn't even realize he had been crying and had stopped shouting, his scream still resonating in his ears. He opened his eyes and breathed with difficulty, feeling weak and lost. He couldn't see clearly, everything was blurry from his streaming tears and his body couldn't stand anymore. He fell backwards, expecting to hit the ground but warm soft hands caught him.

And then he heard her…

"Loki..!"

The voice seemed far away, but it resonated with fear, worry and  _concern_  for him…

"Loki, I'm here..!" Eisa exclaimed, holding him close as he slowly fell into darkness.

He looked up, expecting to see the darkness of the far away ceiling, but instead he saw through his blurry eyes two bright emerald eyes staring into his eyes. He saw worry, distress, care,  _love_ …

And then he fell unconscious, exhausted, his heart ripped opened and bleeding out the rest of his anger and sadness.

* * *

_I'm very proud of this chapter considering the amount of angst and pain Loki feels, I like the way I wrote it and I hope you liked it too! This chapter and its events will have many, many consequences for the rest of the fanfic AND Loki's life. I think he, somewhat, always knew and felt this way but never admitted it until it crashed onto him and he turned into the dark Prince we know in Thor._

_Share your thoughts!_

_NEXT CHAPTER: NIGHTMARES_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	12. Nightmares

_Sorry for being late, but here is the chapter :)_  

* * *

FANFICTION 

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF 

CHAPTER XII : Nightmares 

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. They use the Crossway and a magical item that can guide them in the Crossway to reach Utgard but they land into a labyrinth of fears and illusions, the two separated. Unprotected, Loki goes through his worst fears and deepest wounds and memories, tempted to fall into a raging revenge before being brought back by Eisa.]_

" _Loki…"_

_The young boy lifted up his eyes towards his mother who kneeled in front of him. He turned around, trying to hide the tears welling up in his big green eyes. She smiled tenderly and sat next to the trunk of the tree behind which he had hidden._

" _Loki, sweetie…" She repeated._

_He kept his back turned to her, angrily wiping away his tears while she watched him with a soft gaze._

" _Loki, look at me…" She said gently._

_She could have touched him, or taken him in her arms, but they both knew the little boy had to be the one to turn around and cuddle against her._

" _N-no…" He hiccupped, cursing the tears streaming down his face once again. "Y-you'll see me cry, and you'll say I'm weak… Like Thor, and Sif…!" He said, his little voice broken by his tears._

And like Father… _He thought to himself without voicing it out loud._

" _I won't say you're weak. Crying doesn't make you weak, Loki," she said._

" _I-it doesn't…?" He asked hesitantly, throwing her a glance over his shoulder._

" _No, it doesn't. It shows that you care, that you feel, that you are alive. Tears are good, Loki – but only if, once you feel better, you decide to wipe them away and stand up again."_

_He blinked, his last tears falling down his cheeks before he wiped them away. She leaned down, putting a hand next to her mouth as if she had something to tell him no one else should hear:_

" _And, do you want to know a secret?" She asked in a whisper, her blue eyes gleaming._

_He nodded fervently, turning completely towards her as she leaned towards his ear._

" _Your brother is crying right now…" She murmured._

" _He is?!" Loki exclaimed, mouth hanging open in shock at the thought of his brother so strong and tall crying._

" _Yes, he's worried about you. He thinks he said something he shouldn't have," she answered with a little smile._

_The child got up after a moment, worry and guilt on his face and put his hands on his hips._

" _Thor can't cry! He is the future King! I'll go tell him that crying is good, but only if he stands up again! And only if it's away from everyone's gazes – the people can't see their future King crying! Am I right, Mother?" He asked, looking up at her to make sure he had understood the lesson right._

" _You're right, Loki. Go see your brother," she said with a little nod._

_His smile was so big it made his green eyes sparkle as he ran off to find his brother._

" _He is nothing like his father and brother."_

The unfamiliar voice broke the warm memory, destroying the peaceful feeling within the prince's heart.

Loki stopped breathing, knowing that those memories were nightmares that had decided to haunt him now that his wounds had been opened and were bleeding gushing blood.

" _When you are feeling afraid or sad, remember that you have your brother beside you. Brothers protect each other,_ " Frigga's soothing voice said.

" _He is such a failure."_

Images, memories, and voices kept resonating in his head and flashing behind his eyes, too fast to be seen clearly but fast enough to remind him of all those times Thor beat him during training and Loki ate sand, all those people who whispered behind his back, thinking he wouldn't hear them, all those times Odin stared at him with his one blue eye so vivid and so full of disappointment.

" _I shall make you proud Father!"_

Odin's blue eye seemed to see right into his soul, to know his deepest secrets, fears and thoughts. It felt like a dagger ripping Loki's heart into tiny pieces.

" _You will never be enough for your father! After all, how_ could _you? You are_ nothing _but_ deceptions _and_ illusions!"

He felt his heartbeat increase at the very thought of this fiery version of Eisa created by the labyrinth that opened his wounds so deeply.

His father's eye flickered until he saw the pale face of the All Father in the Odinsleep.

Loki wanted to step away, to run away from those images but he was rooted to the ground, unable to do anything but see these images that kept haunting him.

Then his father turned into a red haired, green eyed diabolic vision with a bad grin, lips as red as her hair. The Eisa that had invaded his mind smirked, circling him like a predator focused on its prey.

" _You will_ never _be enough, Loki_ …" She said, voice full of pity but with eyes that showed she was enjoying it all.

He wanted to scream, to deny it, but he couldn't. The sobs he was containing and the heavy tears that were rolling down his cheeks strangled his voice in his throat.

"— _ki! Loki!"_

His heart missed a beat, recognizing the voice. He stared at the fiery witch, her lips smiling while her voice resonated around him, calling for him.

" _It's more interesting to know the real_ you _rather than the mask you show us all…"_

For a moment, even in his haunted panicked state, he wondered why she would want to know the real him. But her voice continued to talk gently.

" _You are so much more than that…"_  She had whispered.

" _Yes, the real you."_

Had anyone ever  _tried_  to know him at all? Had anyone ever showed any  _interest_  to who he really was? Had anyone ever told him he was  _worth_  something…?

" _The real you."_

"Loki!"

" _You are so much more than that…"_

"Loki, wake up!"

The voice sounded too sweet, too soft, too worried to be the illusion. As expected, the fiery woman flickered before disappearing in flames that blinded his vision.

Loki took a deep breath, trying to let air into his lungs. He was completely blinded and his heart hammered painfully in his chest.

"Loki!"

He looked around, but he was still too blinded. He was panting heavily and holding desperately onto something.

"Loki! Calm down!"

He forced himself to take deep breath, but he was too panicked and it took him long minutes of soothing words whispered to him to finally calm down enough to breathe calmly and lessen the terrorized beating of his heart.

"Shh, I'm here, calm down…" Eisa said gently, tenderly patting his forehead with a fresh, wet tissue.

Loki took a deep breath, closing his eyes. He was covered in sweat and dust and he felt feverish. He couldn't say if it was from exhaustion, panic or his nightmares, but the fresh touch was calming and the words soothing. He wanted to sleep again but he was scared of having more visions and haunting memories, so he opened his eyes and looked up at Eisa. His heart skipped a beat but he ignored it.

She had his head resting on her lap, using the wet tissue softly. She kept talking softly, her green eyes so warm compared to the red witch's. When she saw he was looking at her, she smiled, her rosy lips as delicate as a rosebud.

"Loki… How are you?" She asked softly.

Loki swallowed, realizing he had been staring at her. His eyes widened, a strange and warm feeling bubbling inside him; he tried to ignore it but it was almost impossible. His memories from what had happened after getting lost in the labyrinth came back and the last thing he remembered was Eisa's voice – the real Eisa, not the witchy illusion – calling for him and  _saving_  him.

She had saved him, not just from the labyrinth's magic but from his nightmares too. Her voice had reached him – twice – and both times it had saved him from his fears and his demons. He still felt terrible and heavy – mostly because of the dark thoughts that had been incrusted into his mind. But she had been like a beacon in the night, warmth in the cold.

"I…" He started, but his hoarse voice broke.

"Here, have some water," she said, handling him the gourd.

He drank, the fresh water sliding down his throat helping him enough to sit up. His eyes lowered to his hand, entwined with Eisa's and he finally realized what it was he had been holding onto.

Suddenly embarrassed he had held onto her so badly, Loki let her go, glancing away hesitantly and cursing himself for being so flushed. Since when did a mere  _woman_  disturb him?

"What happened?" He asked.

Even if he knew, he wanted to be sure. Eisa's tender expression faded, replaced by a grimmer one as she started to explain:

"We… we fell from the sliding passageway. When I came back to myself, I was still holding the Golden Sphere but you were gone… I-I looked for you for  _hours_  before hearing  _screams_. I came rushing and I don't know why, you looked… you looked…"

Her voice trailed off and she glanced up at him hesitantly. He looked back at her, urging her to finish her sentence. She swallowed before continuing at last:

"You looked dark, wild and… and you were crying and screaming… I came to you but you used your magic then you collapsed from exhaustion…" She explained quietly.

Loki looked back at his scratched dusty hands, repeating her words in his mind.

"Wait— I used my magic?" He hesitated, frowning.

"Yes, as if you were attacking something…"

He barely remembered what had happened but he knew he had fallen on his knees, shouting and feeling torn apart. Perhaps this feeling wasn't caused only by his emotions – he must have used his seiðr instinctively against the illusions around him. He should have done that from the beginning instead of listening to her poisonous words.

"But, if I used my seiðr you—"

His voice broke and he froze when he finally looked at her face, scratched and bruised – just like her hands and arms.

Without realising it, he leaned forward, his left hand cupping her cheek and his thumb brushing a scratch on her cheek. There was no way she could have escaped his magic if it had exploded out of him. She had been touched as much as the illusion, but she hadn't disappeared; she'd gotten injured instead…

Realising his concern, Eisa smiled waving her hands.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Just a few bruises! I'll be better soon!" She exclaimed.

Loki kept watching her worriedly before taking both of her hands in his. He noticed a heavy blush appearing on her cheeks as she looked down, suddenly focused on the ground. He kissed her hands, his eyes not leaving her face, bruised and scratched because she came rushing to him while he was uncontrollable…

"Thank you…" He murmured, his lips brushing her fingers.

Eisa blushed even more, her eyes widening and her pulse frantic. Loki smiled at the effect he had on her, pleased with himself and feeling much better since his waking.

"Y-you're welcome…" She whispered, her voice barely high enough to be heard.

If he didn't feel so weak and distressed, he would have chuckled at her expression; he let go of her hands and moved away instead.

"Where is the Golden Sphere? How long have I been unconscious?" He asked.

Eisa showed him the Golden Thread, the magic from the little orb obviously protecting them. They were still in the labyrinth, where he had collapsed.

"You were out for several hours, but I can't tell how long exactly. And the Sphere has been protecting us, just like it did while guiding me towards you," she explained.

"We should keep moving, and get out of this place as soon as possible," Loki said, his voice and body tense at the very idea of going through the same kind of hardships another time.

He got up, grunting from the painful muscles in his entire body. He shook his clothes before picking up the Golden Sphere and observing it. It was more powerful than he had initially thought if it led Eisa to him and she didn't have any nightmarish visions like he did.

He looked down at the still kneeling girl. Her eyes were fixated on him silently, lips slightly parted.

"What?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

She seemed to hesitate before asking what she had been wondering for hours:

"Will you… not talk?" She asked in a little voice.

"Talk? About what?" Loki snickered, but his heart clenched, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"About what happened to you. It must have been terrible considering how you…"

Eisa hesitated when he threw her a sharp look, warning her into silence.

"Considering how you… lost control…" She murmured.

Loki looked straight ahead, trying to ignore the cold, hard feeling in his heart.

"Let's get out of here first," he said, his voice harsher than he intended to.

Eisa flinched at his tone and nodded quickly. She got up and followed him, guided in the dark labyrinth by the golden warm light of the Sphere.

As they slowly made their way out in intense silence, Loki thought about everything that happened since he left Asgard. Mostly, about his time in the labyrinth.

He had seen his worst fears come to life: being lost in this place; the feeling of dying, his family dead; his own reflection as a monster; his worst and most beautiful memories blending in a dreadful mix; a fiery witch taking the features of his desire: revenge and giving him dark, cold thoughts and feelings. The worst wasn't anything of what that illusionary Eisa had said; it was  _knowing_  that she has been  _right_. For a moment, Loki had felt like he could kill his parents and brother, just for making him feel so rejected his whole life…

He had snapped out of it, but even after getting out of this labyrinth, this Crossway and ending his mission, he would still remember it all. Those haunting terrible visions, this cold feeling of revenge and hatred warping his heart, turning it dark and hard… He hated that, he hated feeling like that, especially towards his family and guilt only added to all of this. But he could  _never_  forget any of it. It would haunt him  _forever_ …

_Not forever. Only until I get rid of this feeling by finally letting go of that hatred against everyone who ever hurt me._

_No_. Loki would  _not_  fall into this. He would  _never_  betray his family or hurt them in  _any way_. It was the labyrinth's magic still haunting him. He wouldn't give in to the wrong desire…

 _But not all desire is wrong…_  He thought, glancing at Eisa by his side.

He observed her a moment, remembering how she had saved him. Normally, he would feel ashamed knowing she had seen him at his lowest, weakest, unable to do anything but cry and scream in his rage and sadness, but the only thing he could think was that she had saved him and brought him warmth and light when his heart was turning into ice and ashes…

Sensing eyes on her, Eisa looked back at him and blushing, looked away while Loki kept his gaze on her, devouring her soul.

Loki had never felt this way with anyone and he suddenly realized that everything in the labyrinth hadn't been only darkness and bad things. He had met, perhaps the one person who ever showed interest in him, caring deeply enough to look out for him and stay by his side when he had injured her…

Loki frowned at his thoughts, his fingers instinctively trying to grasp hers. He wanted to hold her hand, just like he had in his sleep and after waking up. He wanted to feel this warmth again. He wanted to—

He stopped walking, seeing some sort of faraway light in a cave next to him. Intrigued by this dark blue colour and the light it gave away despite the darkness of the Crossway, he frowned and walked closer. He walked slowly, his daggers in hand ready to be thrown if a monster were to attack him. He was trembling in fear but advanced anyway.

Loki stepped under the low entrance. His daggers fell from his fingers, clicking on the ground as the sound resonated all around him, echoing with the hollow beatings of his heart. His eyes widened and he took in a deep breath out of panic and fear, the feelings clenching around his heart painfully. He gasped and wanted to take a step backwards, to escape from this place, but his feet couldn't move. He was in the most  _frightening_  and most  _magnificent_  place he had been given the chance to see.

All around him, when walls should have surrounded him, there was nothing but infinite universe. The blue of the night sky was even darker than all the times Loki had seen it, he recognized several stars and constellations but if the beauty of the universe surrounding him was obvious, it made him feel cold, little and scared. He felt sadness and despair invading him, making his gut and stomach clench icily. His heart was beating and the sound of his pulsing blood resonated in his entire body as he stared into infinity and emptiness.

It didn't make any sense; there was no way he could be standing in the middle of the universe. When he had stepped into this cave, he was walking on solid ground; his daggers had fallen on it.

He looked down at the rocky ground for reassurance, but he saw nothing but more infinite universe and dangerous looking stars under his feet.

" _No, Loki."_

He stopped breathing at the sound of his father's voice; suddenly, he felt like he was falling. His entire body felt strangely light as it fell towards the stars, towards death. He saw the swirling light of destruction. There was a deep black hole in the middle, and he was falling right towards it; he was falling towards his death and there was nothing he could he _wanted_ to do.

Suddenly, while his whole body was falling and twirling towards death, he fell and for a short moment, he gasped and screamed, unable to do anything. The stars were shining behind his eyelids when he stumbled and fell on his knees, the rocky ground hitting his skin sharply even through his clothes.

"—ki! Loki! Wake up!"

The voice resonated in Loki's head until he looked up and saw darkness. He wasn't falling into the universe anymore; the dark walls of the Crossway seemed so heavy it was as if they were falling onto him and crushing him. Feeling lost and panicked, he looked around until he felt warm hands grabbing his cheeks and turning his head sharply.

"Loki!"

He stared at Eisa for a long moment; she had kneeled in front of him, taking his face in her hands and staring into his eyes. Her face was twisted with worry and her emerald eyes were bright with concern and panic. Loki's breath came in short pants and he trembled while she stared at him, not knowing what to say or what to do. She opened her mouth to talk but he suddenly grabbed her hands. She froze, staring at him in shock while he struggled to breathe, tears welling in his green eyes.

"Loki…?" Eisa hesitated, calling to him in a low voice.

Loki looked down, his black hair falling messily around his face, hiding his expression of pain. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to forget the tears burning his eyelids. He kept opening his mouth desperately to keep some air in his lungs, but it was useless. He couldn't breathe anymore; air itself was strangling him.

He grabbed Eisa's shoulders; she kept calling him but he couldn't hear her words. The only voice he could was father's voice during this strange vision.

" _No, Loki."_

" _You will_ never _be enough, Loki…"_

His eyes opened once again, staring at the dusty ground under his knees. His limbs felt weak and heavy, as if he were being crushed under Mjollnir; his fingers let go of Eisa's shoulders and he fell forward, moaning in pain. It felt as if his heart had been ripped open and was now bleeding out.

"Loki! Please! Answer me!" Eisa screamed, putting hands on his shoulders with the hope it would comfort him in some way, "What happened?!"

But her voice was still far away, never reaching his ears.

He was on his hands and knees, eyes wide open in fear and panic, struggling to breathe, fighting to live. He saw his own teardrops falling on the ground under him, darkening it lightly, making it wet.

Eisa stared at him with wide eyes, not knowing what to do. Slowly, his breathing calmed down a little, just enough for him to relax despite his madly beating heart, constantly reminding him of his fear. His arms buckled and he remained on the ground, trying to breathe and think while Eisa stared at the Prince of Asgard. He was too damaged, too broken and destroyed to be able to keep a regal face.

"Loki…" She murmured, leaning down to hold him as reassuringly as she could.

He closed his eyes, her soft voice finally reaching him again despite the cold thoughts that kept haunting him.

"I'm here, Loki…" She whispered.

He didn't react, only stayed still, remembering his vision of falling. Falling towards a black hole in infinite space, irrelevant and weak. Falling like a god no one believed in anymore, or an angel who had betrayed his family and gotten his wings cut. For a moment, he had known what  _falling_  really was…

After what could have been long minutes or infinite hours, Loki finally moved slightly, making the young woman start and straighten up. She observed him worriedly as he rose, sitting on the ground and looking a little lost. His eyes looked right in front of him, but it was as if he were seeing nothing. His body was stiff and distant.

Eisa reached her hand to touch his arm, but her fingers trembled and she brought her hand back; the Prince didn't even notice her hesitation and attempt at comfort.

"Are you all right Loki?" She asked with a shaky voice.

He heard her but didn't answer, closing his eyes just a moment before sighing.

"Do you not want to talk about—"

"No." He cut her off sharply.

She swallowed and he must have realized how harsh he had sounded because he turned back towards her, another sigh leaving his lips.

"Excuse me. I just don't understand what is happening to me…" He murmured in a hard voice.

She seemed to hesitate before opening her mouth:

"I'm pretty sure you just had a panic attack?" She hesitated.

Loki stared at her for a long time, lips parted in shock and incomprehension. If he hadn't held back his words, he would have probably snickered and cried "What?" or would have given an entire speech about the irrelevance and ridiculousness of the very idea of  _him_ , Loki, Prince of Asgard, God of Lies and Mischief, having a  _panic attack_.

Instead, he rolled his eyes and snorted, shaking his head slightly.

"This is ridiculous," he said, putting a hand through his hair, trying to hide his still trembling fingers.

He slicked back his hair once again before standing up on shaking legs. He hesitated and struggled just enough for Eisa to notice it; her lips tightened in worry but he stood tall above her.

"Come on, we need to move," he ordered, leaning down to take the Golden Sphere in his hands.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" She asked, standing up as well.

"Yes, let's move forward," Loki said, already advancing.

His steps were uneasy and unfocused at first, the young woman observing him closely, but he finally took a deep breath and found his pace.

A part of him was feeling dreadful and ashamed for breaking down, having a "panic attack" as Eisa had said, in front of a lowly subject like her. But every time he was starting to think he should be ashamed, the blooming warmth in his chest reminded him that she had been here for him: she saved him, in many ways and many times already. He was grateful to her, but mostly, he was grateful to her for  _being there_  for him, for not leaving him alone and for seeing  _him_ , the  _real_  him.

"I'm sorry," he finally said, breaking the heavy silence between them.

Eisa stared at him, not understanding what he meant until he turned around to face her again.

"It won't happen again," he said, trying to keep his princely composure.

She observed him for a long moment before smiling, her eyes as amused as they were sad.

"Loki, I'll be there for you if you need me. I promise…"

She smiled a little more at him and took his hand, squeezing it lightly. He felt the warmth of her fingers slipping through his and then taking over his entire body, a strange feeling of peace settling in his heart.

"Why would you do that for me?" He asked, furrowing his brows in confusion.

She seemed to hesitate, confused by his question. She flushed before answering, glancing around in embarrassment.

"Because… because I care for you?" She murmured, biting her lower lip, "I guess?" She added in a whisper.

Their eyes met, watery green against emerald, both shining with tears, emotions and the golden light of the Sphere around them.

Loki suddenly moved smoothly; he cupped her cheek and leaned forward, his gaze not leaving hers for a second. Neither had time to take in a breath before his lips met hers. His heart exploded in his chest, a hot blood running through his veins. He stayed a moment to take in her fragrance and her taste, enjoying the excited palpitations of their hearts, his heart hammering against his chest and hers, pulsing through his light touch. The kiss was soft but burning; it was quick but intense, so intense they had to pull away to breath and stared into each other's eyes.

They both looked confused, both shaken by what just happened but they couldn't regret any of it.

Loki's lips opened slightly, either to talk or to kiss her again – even  _he_  couldn't tell – but suddenly, her eyes looked over his shoulder and she gasped.

"Look!"

He was so surprised by her sudden cry that it took him a moment to react after she had escaped. He turned around, fearing for another monster, but his eyes widened slightly and he started to run after Eisa as they advanced towards the light.

Loki was still shaken from the nightmarish visions and dreams he had had in the labyrinth, this terrible feeling of falling towards his end. The way Eisa had saved him, took care of him before reassuring him as he had felt more broken and lost than ever… Everything that happened in the labyrinth, the good and the bad, it would haunt him forever. His heart would never beat in the same way; he would never be able to forget all those feelings and emotions that were lit up in this Crossway.

The legends say that the Crossway holds the darkest parts of the Universe and that your only way out is to get lost and die. Loki  _did_  see the darkest parts of the Universe; he  _did_  get lost and died a little because  _he would never the same_ , but he would have never imagined that the darkness he would get lost in would be his own heart.

They ran towards the light as fast as they could to escape this nightmarish place as soon as possible. A vivid gust of wind almost made them fall off their feet as they were blinded by the blue sky and bright sun in it. They blinked, taking in the fresh air and breathing deeply while their vision adjusted. Once they were able to see clearly, they looked around and stopped breathing.

They were surrounded by mountains, partly covered in a deep green forest. A river was flowing down in the valley but mostly, they saw a huge city carved directly from the rock of the mountain, just like the huge massive fortress above the far away city.

"Utgard…" Loki breathed, his heart beating excitedly as they watched their destination from afar.

He had no idea how long they had stayed in the Crossway, but there wasn't any Asgardian army or any trace of a battle, which was a good sign. It probably meant that his deadline hadn't arrived yet. He would have to find out what day it was as soon as possible to know how long he still had.

Utgard was in view; his mission and his nightmares were almost over. He could do it, he had promised to do it.

" _I shall make you proud father!"_

His own voice resonated in his mind, but unlike the first days in Jotunheim, it wasn't pride and excitation that filled him: it was dread and coldness.

* * *

_They're finally almost at Utgard - but the story is far from being over, believe me! :P_

_I intended to put some references to the canon with the falling into nothingness and "No, Loki"; plus the last chapter with many, many references as well! :3_

_The chapters might take some time to be posted because my beta reader has a lot of work with me (but she's doing a marvellous job!) but it should be one chapter per week or so._

_NEXT CHAPTER : UTGARD_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	13. Utgard

_Thanks for the Kudos! :D_

* * *

 

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER XIII : Utgard

_[Loki is sent to spy on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something has been following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. They use the Crossway and a magical item that can guide them to reach Utgard, but they land separately in a labyrinth of fears and illusions. Unprotected, Loki faces his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories, tempted to fall into a raging revenge before being brought back by Eisa. Still haunted by his experience in the labyrinth, he realizes that he might care more about Eisa than he initially thought.]_

Loki looked up but didn't see Eisa. He looked around, but the only thing he could see was the tree under which his clothes were drying, laid on rocks under the warm sunlight. He looked around once again, unable to see the girl, and frowned.

As they were making their way down the mountain, once arrived in the valley, they found a river and a bend in it partly hidden behind rocks. They couldn't help themselves and went there with the intention of solely drinking fresh water and washing their faces, but after fighting a dragon (who didn't have fresh breath at all), the wandering in the Crossway, the dust and sweat that covered them  _and_  Loki's emotional trauma; they decided to bathe. Plus, he was a Prince used to bathing every day. He could bear being sticky for a few days, but too much was too much and he needed all of his strength and well-being for Utgard.

They had decided that while Loki's clothes dried, he would bathe in the river while Eisa kept an eye on the surroundings. When he was done bathing and dressed, the girl would take her turn in the river (Loki definitely didn't plan on being as pure as her when she'd take off her clothes) but now, she was gone, and he didn't like that.

He ignored the beating of his heart that resonated in his ears as he advanced towards the bank, looking around. Still dripping, he got out of the river, ignoring that his underwear stuck against his skin as he looked around.

"Eisa?" He called, frowning.

He didn't like the idea of her away from him; he would much prefer to have her by his side.  _And it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that she saved me and that I hold onto her like a light in the darkness_ , he thought to himself, clicking his tongue in annoyounce.

"Since when am I so pathetic around a  _woman_ … _?_ " He muttered to himself before walking a little further from the tree, looking for the seiðr user.

Loki froze when he walked behind a stony wall, seeing Eisa's boots on the ground. Further away her clothes lay on the dusty ground. He looked up and his mouth fell open, his heart suddenly bursting into flames at the vision in front of him.

Eisa was in the river, back to him, bathing and brushing her long auburn hair with her fingers. Water reached her waist, giving him a view on her back, tempting enough to throw him off-balance but definitely not bare enough to his taste. She was covered in bruises and scratches, but she appeared to him like the most tempting creature he'd ever seen.

Hearing some sounds behind her, Eisa looked over her shoulder and blushed madly upon seeing an almost completely naked Loki observing her. She gasped and turned away, covering her breasts with her arms.

"Loki!" She exclaimed; she tried to make her voice reproachful but it was closer to a squeal. "S-stop looking!" She exclaimed when she realized he wasn't moving – he didn't intend to.

"Why? I've already seen women before," He said with a shrug, trying to ignore the fact that no matter how many beauties he had met, none captured the charm Eisa possessed.

She turned her head to glare at him but he ignored her and approached the water.

"W-what are you doing?" She asked, her voice barely higher than a whisper, her whole body turning red from embarrassment.

"Joining you, obviously. I would rather enjoy a bathe together than staying away from each other. It's safer this way." He explained with a huge grin.

She stared at him with a hard gaze. Even if his explanation made sense, they both knew he was joining her for  _other_  reasons. The amused gleam in his eyes and proud smile made his true intentions explicit, even if his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Loki was feeling better after walking under the sunlight and being away from the Crossway and they had both decided to ignore what had happened in there – for the moment.

She rolled her eyes when he approached her with his silly grin but she couldn't help herself and smiled back.

"How shocking that a Prince of Asgard would share the same water as a low subject." She mocked with a light voice.

"Seeing you like that, I can't think of you as a 'low subject'." He replied, lifting up a hand to brush her bare shoulder.

Eisa shivered at the contact but stayed still; they both felt the electricity that ran through their entire bodies at this simple touch. Still turning her back from him and keeping her arms around her bust protectively, she tried to ignore the Prince as he slowly leaned down towards her, his fingers barely brushing her and his breath, unusually fresh hitting her neck. He observed her reactions closely, amused by her stubbornness. He approached his lips to her ear, talking in a voice so low that it vibrated against her skin through her entire body.

"You appear to me brighter and more majestic than a Queen…" He whispered before biting the lobe of her ear lightly.

She yelped and jumped a little, looking up at him with big, shining green eyes. Loki felt his heart melt as she stared up at him, unable to break the eye contact.

"Y-your clothes and… and… we… should take turns in… bathing to keep an eye… an eye on…" She stammered in a breathless voice.

"Should I remind you that you left first to bathe on your own? Without telling me, without  _inviting_  me? That's very rude…" He answered, feigning hurt.

Eisa's chest was heaving up and down and she forced herself to turn away from him, no matter how hard her heart was beating against her chest and no matter how flushed she was.

"I-I'm sorry… The water was too tempting…" She murmured, trying to look as far away from his eyes as possible.

Loki put his hands on her shoulders, pressing his fingers into the skin to make her stop breathing, the pressure just enough to show his dominance over her body. He leaned down and breathed in her smell. She smelled of sweat and dust; the fresh water hadn't cleaned her upper body yet when he had appeared behind her, but there was a slight scent of flowers. He didn't recognize it, but it was familiar and sweet.

His lips kissed the skin where her shoulder met her neck and she sighed despite herself. He kissed her higher, on her neck and she instinctively turned her head to give him more space. Taking it as the invitation he was craving, Loki wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against him, slowly making his way towards her face.

"L-Loki…" She breathed, her voice making his blood pulse hotter in his veins.

He kissed her behind the ear, then her jaw, and her cheek as she put her hands on his, her fingers digging into his skin. He brought her closer against his torso, their bodies moulded together perfectly.

"W-we should focus on.. on…" She tried to say.

But his lips reached the corner of her lips and their eyes met, watery green against emerald green. He leaned forward and she started to close her eyes to welcome the kiss before suddenly turning around, stepping away and putting her hands on his torso to keep him at bay.

He stared at her in disbelief while she struggled to form words, her lips trembling and her cheeks burning more than ever.

"I-I…" She started.

He froze and frowned, glaring at her with a cold gaze that it sent shivers down her spine – but this time, it wasn't out of pleasure.

"Do you not want me to kiss you? Is my touch so repulsive to you?" He asked in a hard voice.

"N-no.."

"Should I remind you that we kissed already? If I recall correctly, you quite enjoyed it. If my touch is so repulsive to you," he continued, ignoring her stammers, "You should have stopped me at the beginning instead of flirting with me and letting me hold you and kiss you as if you were giving me a chance—"

"Loki—"

"I don't understand why you wouldn't let me kiss you another time, and I—"

He was stopped suddenly when she grabbed his face and pulled him down to her, their lips crashing against one another. Loki opened wide eyes, his body frozen for a short moment before moaning and pulling her body against him, keeping her close as he answered to her kiss wildly. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he kept her against him, her breasts pressing against his torso. Their bodies were so hot it was a miracle that the water against them wasn't turning into steam.

Eisa groaned, driving him deeper into waves of pleasure from their intense kiss as he pushed her towards the bank. He grabbed her thighs and lifted her up so that she sat on a rock before starting to kiss, lick and bite her neck, her nails digging into his back. His hands stroked her thighs and he was pressing his body against hers once again when she opened her eyes and put her hands on his shoulders to stop him.

"W-wait—"

"No." He said firmly between kisses; he bit her before blowing on the sensible skin.

"Aah… W-wait, L-Loki…"

It took all of her willpower and strength to give a little push on his shoulders that pushed him away just long enough to look into his eyes.

"Wait, Loki." She said despite her trembling voice.

"What?" He grumbled annoyounce, fury and lust flashing in his eyes.

"W-we can't, not now, not here." She said, pushing him a little further.

"Why not?" He asked with the same annoyed tone.

Eisa threw him an exasperated look and sighed before running a hand through her hair, ignoring the way his eyes lowered to her breasts.

" _Because_  you have a mission to accomplish and I  _can't_  become weak now! We're at the doors of Utgard, we can't take the risk of being discovered – and  _especially_  not in such a position!"

She stared at him with determined eyes and he snorted before glancing at the city of stone up in the mountains. He took a step away and sighed deeply, putting a hand through his messy black hair before looking back at her with an exasperated look.

"Don't think I'm going to let you get away so easily. As soon as we're back in Asgard, we—"

Loki trailed off as Eisa stared at him. He frowned to himself, not knowing what he had been about to say. She smiled sadly and took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Loki… You're a  _Prince_ … Even with your powers, there.. is no ' _we'_." She whispered, her voice breaking more than she wanted to.

He stared back at her, realizing finally why his heart suddenly ached and why he had stopped without finishing his sentence. Eisa wasn't noble, and her family was accused of treason. He was a Prince, there was no possibility for them to  _have_  anything or  _be_  anything. Not together at least.

"I'll…" He started, but he was unable to find any word.

Eisa put her hand on his cheek brushed his cheekbone with her thumb as she smiled almost tenderly at him.

"That's why.. that's why I should have stopped you…"

" _You_  kissed me." He mumbled.

She let out a little laugh that made his heart light up and he swallowed.

"And it was the most intense and passionate moment of my life…" She answered with a smile.

Loki wanted to reply but was unable to. The realization that he had forgotten that he was a Prince and she, a low blood, now weighted on his shoulders, though he didn't even know why. Why would he be so weak around a woman? Why did he keep on acting so strangely around Eisa? He didn't even recognize himself.

" _Loki—I will trust you with this mission."_

Loki clenched his teeth upon hearing his father's voice. He felt the cold feeling that hit his heart harder than any blow could ever hope to hurt him, but he ignored it. He focused instead of his goal to make his father and family proud, to save them and accomplish this mission. He  _had_  to. He had to prove to everyone that he was a worthy son of Odin – just like his bright brother while the second son remained in the shadows.

But Loki didn't know what to feel anymore, what his heart was beating for: was it out of determination to accomplish this mission? Or was it with this cold feeling filled with jealousy, rage and distress that kept haunting him?

"We should start getting dressed, our clothes must be dry by now…" Eisa said, getting out of the water and putting her clothes back on once again.

Her voice brought Loki back to reality and he sighed, lifting himself up onto the bank before going back to the tree to get dressed.

He might not know what to feel about anything, especially not about Eisa but she was right about one thing: they had to focus on their mission and Utgard.

"Are you ready?" He finally asked once he was fully dressed once again.

She turned towards him with a smile and nodded, finishing braiding her long hair before advancing towards him. She looked up and down at his clothes and pouted a little.

"I prefer what I saw earlier…" She murmured in a slightly mocking tone.

Eisa laughed and Loki couldn't help but smirk back, the mischievous light in his eyes shining once again even if determination was the main emotion on his face.

"Let's go." He said in a firm voice.

A few hours later, they had climbed to the edge of the city, trying to appear as normal as possible as the Mountain Giants were starting to show themselves. They were completely different from Frost Giants and actually looked like any Asgardian.

"I would have expected them to be more.. stony…" Eisa whispered in Loki's ear after passing by several Giants.

"They live in the mountains, but the climate is quite close to the one that of Asgard. Their bodies and metabolism are close to ours, just bigger and stronger." He explained, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

Loki felt relieved to realize the men weren't much taller than him or Thor, and that the women were only a little bigger than Eisa. He still threw an illusion over their features, faces and clothes to fit the usual Mountain Giants' proper outfit. The arms and shoulders of the Mountain Giants, men or women, were incredibly muscular, considering that they were working on mountains' stone and rocks all the time. Their legs were strong too, from constantly climbing and walking to such a city.

Utgard's habitations began in the valley with the peasants and farmers who worked in the fields by the river – but most of their food came from commerce with different cities in Jotunheim. As soon as the mountain started, the path started climbing and a few houses appeared. All the streets were sloping and crossing with one another, creating a real maze of houses, streets and shops all made from the rock of the mountain itself. All above it was the huge fortress of Utgard where the King of Mountain Giants, Fornjótr, lived.

"Where should we start?" Eisa asked in a low voice.

"Shush, don't say a thing. Follow me and obey me." Loki ordered without glancing at her, keeping his eyes on the surroundings.

She stared at him but didn't say anything, keeping her silence as they slowly made their way to the heart of the city where most inhabitants were and the commerce was buzzling. If some people glanced at them, they didn't stare or look suspicious of the visitors in their city. Loki and Eisa saw a huge banner hooked between two buildings as they arrived in the centre of the town.

"I don't know the Mountain Giants' language. What is it saying?" Eisa asked.

"It's market day," he answered, reading what was written on the banner, "' _Today, on the fifteenth day of the fifth month of the three hundred and forty seventh year of King Fornjótr's reign, takes place the annual Great Market.'_ It reunites all of the Jotunn merchants who travelled here."

With his knowledge of the Mountain Giants' calendar and the Asgardian one, Loki quickly counted the days he had been away from his home.

"Five days." He suddenly said, swallowing.

"Five days?" Eisa inquired.

"We've been in the Crossway for  _five entire days._  Which means I only have  _three_  days to get the information and go back to Asgard." He murmured darkly, frowning at the turn of events. "We have to hurry."

"What do we do?" She asked again, sounding impatient.

"Just like I said, you just obey me and stay silent." He said, offering her his arm.

Eisa hesitated only a moment before grabbing it, realizing that they would appear as a rich Mountain Giants couple visiting Utgard for the Great Market.

As soon as they got closer, Loki and Eisa sensed that it was an important day of commerce for Jotunns and Utgard. On the biggest plaza were aligned numerous stalls with various products, from food to jewellery, clothes and spices.

Loki knew that there were usually some Asgardian merchants sent by the Palace's cooks to buy some rare spices, but with the war at stake, there probably wouldn't be any – except for him and Eisa, who were disguised.

Many Giants – Mountain and Storm mainly, but he saw some blue skinned Frost Giants far away and decided to stay away from them – were here, but Loki recognized some other people from other worlds such as dwarves and elves. No Vanir – probably because Vanaheim was Asgard's closest ally.

"Who wants some fish? Just fished from the uphill of the river this morning!" One of the merchants exclaimed joyfully, showing the fish at his stall.

Loki only smiled politely at him, as he continued to walk slowly through the middle of the happy crowd.

"What a bad day to come to Utgard, right when there is such a market…" Eisa grumbled after being hit by someone, "We'll never reach the fortress like that…"

"What are you talking about? It's the best day we could have hoped to come," Loki answered with a satisfied smile.

She threw him a questioning look and he answered, keeping his voice low:

"It offers us so many opportunities. And we can get information much more easily, without attracting too much attention."

He noticed a Mountain Giant who was probably part of the nobility or at least, a very rich merchant considering his clothes, walking right towards him, talking absentmindedly to another Giant on his right.

Loki turned his head towards Eisa, as if in a deep conversation with her:

"Act natural and look at the jewellery stall." He ordered in a low voice, not smiling.

"Why would I—"

Her voice was cut when he pinched the skin of her forearm. She barely managed to keep her shocked gasp contained but turned her head towards the next stall they walked by. Right at this moment, Loki hit the Giant and quickly turned towards him.

"My apologies," he said very courteously.

The Giant smiled back and gave a little nod while the two parted ways.

Eisa glanced at the Asgardian Prince, trying to figure out what he was playing at, but he only smiled at her in the nicest way possible – which disturbed her even more. He kept on looking at stalls, slowing down and even stopping at times, smiling and natural, fading completely to the role of mountain giant with his natural smile.

Loki finally stopped in the very middle of the plaza at a stall selling jewellery.

"My dear, what do you think of this hair stick?" He asked, gesturing to one displayed on the stall.

It took Eisa a moment to realize he was talking to her and she jumped, ignoring the deadly gaze he threw at her for what could have been a mistake. She leaned towards the long golden hair stick with intricate rubies on top.

"It's lovely," she answered, trying to ignore the mad beating of her heart as Loki's words kept rolling in her head. ' _My dear_ ' he had called her.

"A beautiful hair accessory for a beautiful lady," the merchant said, smiling at the couple. "It's a masterpiece in hair accessory, truly; the Vanaheim style is very famous recently, very appreciated and the artwork is from Niðavellir. The best dwarves made this jewel."

"The best dwarves?" Loki continued, sounding impressed.

"Youy, the brothers Brokkr and Sindri. This masterpiece isn't as expensive as it should be, really! It would only make your lady even more beautiful than she already is!"

"Indeed a beautiful lady," Loki agreed, throwing a smile at a very blushing Eisa. "I'll take it." He decided suddenly, turning back to the grinning merchant.

Eisa frowned at him but her mouth fell open when he took out a purse filled with golden coins which were definitely not an illusion. He bought the hair stick and then took a moment to pin it in her hair, lifting up her braid in a complicated bun through which the hair stick now stood. Of course, to everyone else, he had just added jewellery to the already pretty hairstyle she was wearing. No one could guess otherwise, only Loki and Eisa knew the truth behind their appearances.

Loki's eyes locked with Eisa's for a moment, admiring his work before he gave her a smile she couldn't understand and turned back towards the merchant.

"Isn't she beautiful?"

"Magnificent, sir," the merchant answered with a huge grin after selling such a masterpiece.

"Where are you from if I may ask?" Loki asked, continuing the conversation. He was using all of his charm and skills against the merchant who smiled, happy to converse with a good customer.

"I'm from the north of Jotunheim. Most of what I sell is dwarf's handiwork."

"Yes, I believe there is a pathway between Jotunheim and Niðavellir in the north, right?" Loki questioned, sounding innocently curious.

"Indeed, sir, you are very knowledgeable, sir!"

"Busy day. It must be  _exhausting_  for you, after this entire journey to come here…" He said.

"Arf, this is my job, sir! And, if I may say so, this year isn't a good year at all…" She said, throwing a glance around the crowd and pouting.

"Really?" Eisa asked, trying to not let Loki do all the work.

"Yay, with this war coming, many of our usual customers didn't come…"

"The war?" Loki repeated, leaning forward, "Really? I only heard rumours of it, but.. I'm not from around here and I thought it was just hearsay…"

"Not hearsay at all, sir, the war is very serious," the merchant answered, shaking her head and frowning at the idea of a war ruining her business, "I don't know the details, but I've heard from another merchant who lives here, in Utgard, that he heard some guards talking at the tavern. King Fornjótr has sent spies to Asgard! To Asgard, yay!" She exclaimed with a voice as low as possible.

"Asgard? How so?" Eisa continued, faking shock.

"Yay,  _Asgard_ , all the way to the  _Queen's_  chambers!"

"No!" The lady gasped.

It sounded naïve enough but Loki felt Eisa's nails digging into his forearm; at the very idea that her mother, who was a Queen's maid, would have been a spy, made her tremble. Eisa had mentioned her mother being manipulated and used by some outside force, which is why she had decided to come. But  _apparently_ , on the Mountain Giants' side, they have heard about  _spies_.

Loki didn't react, not wanting to think about Eisa's mother truly being a spy. Mostly, however, he didn't want to think about the consequences for the seiðr user if it turned out to be true…

"Yay, the Queen's chambers. I don't know why the King would want a war against Asgard, but because of this tension, no Asgardian nor Vanir customers this year. And many dwarves and elves decided to stay away from a possible battlefield. Truly, this year is a  _very_  bad year for us…" She finished, sighing and glancing once again at the crowd with a pitiful look.

"Do you know why the King would do such a thing?" Loki asked, hoping to gain more information.

"Nay. But some say it's revenge, but I know nothing more about his reasons. But, I heard other rumours about the fortress, y'know…"

"The fortress?" Loki repeated, his mind paying full attention.

"Youy, some noblemen serving the King have started to come these last few days, from all over Jotunheim! They are preparing for battle; some must even be arriving today! I do hope one of those noblemen will come by our Market, we might sell a bit more…"

"He's arriving  _today_ , really?" Loki continued.

"Youy, with all of his troops and maidens, it'll be impressive. Those noblemen are always impressive, aren't they?"

"They are, indeed…" He murmured, absentmindedly.

The merchant smiled at him but another customer stopped by her stall and she turned her attention to the new arrival.

"Thank you very much," Loki said to the merchant.

"Very welcome, sir!" She exclaimed with a broad smile.

He and Eisa started to walk away from the stall, slowly making their way through the crowd.

Loki glanced at her, opening his mouth to talk, but saw that her head was hanging low, eyes filled with terror and sadness. He hesitated, not knowing what to say. She had just heard that her mother was considered a spy here as well as in Asgard. Before he could say a thing, however, Eisa lifted her head and mustered all of her courage to look strong. She turned towards him, acting as natural as possible – but the fear in her eyes didn't go unnoticed.

"Where did that purse come from?" She asked, frowning at the memory of the purse he got out of his pocket to buy the hair stick.

He hesitated slightly before deciding to act as normal as she was doing.

"The Giant I hit earlier," he answered with a smile.

Eisa recalled the rich man from earlier Loki had hit by 'accident'. He had stolen the purse from him so quickly and efficiently that no one had noticed.

"You clever little thief…" She whispered with an amazed smile.

"Of course I am, I am  _Loki_." He answered with a self-satisfied smile.

"You know that you paid for a hair stick that is most probably not dwarf's handiwork, though?" She asked.

"Oh, it is," he replied while she frowned, "Do you think I wouldn't recognize a dwarf's work? Most of my mother's jewellery is dwarf-made. This merchant might be a fool, but she is not a liar.  _And_  thanks to her, I have a plan to infiltrate Utgard's fortress."

"Did you not learn enough? I thought you only needed to find out if Fornjótr wanted the war or not, you know he does now." Eisa said with a trembling voice, confused.

"I still don't know about my mother's maids' betrayal: if it was their own will and they were really spies or not. Plus, it won't be enough for the All Father, I need to find out  _why_  Fornjótr wants war." He said seriously, jaw clenched.

"The merchant mentioned revenge, any idea what it could mean?" She asked, secretly thankful for the fact he was still trying to find out the truth about her mother.

Loki's lips pursed in a thin line and he shook his head slightly, not willing to admit his lack of knowledge. He had no idea what kind of revenge King Fornjótr would seek against Asgard. He was a young King who had only been on the throne for only three centuries and many had accused him of being too weak; perhaps he just wanted to try to prove himself worthy of his title.

Loki swallowed, frowning at himself as his heart clenched tightly in his chest. Even if Fornjótr wanted to prove himself worthy, it wasn't a reason to go at war and put his people in danger; it was reckless, dangerous and idiotic.

" _I shall make you proud father!"_

Loki wanted to prove himself worthy too, but he was different from this King. Right?

"Loki?"

He looked back at Eisa and realized she had called to him several times and was staring at him worriedly. He quickly looked away, not wanting her to understand that his time in the labyrinth was still haunting him – just like this cold feeling in his heart.

"Let's go spy on King Fornjótr," he said. His voice sounded confident, but his gaze was distant and worried.

* * *

_A quiet chapter without much happening but I wanted you to discover Utgard and to show more of Loki's true nature and skills; all in charms, illusions, tricks and thievery. :3_

_NEXT CHAPTER: INFILTRATION_

_Tell me what you think! :D_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	14. Infiltration

_Thanks for the Kudos, Bookmarks and Kudos! :D_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER XIV : Infiltration

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. After going through the Crossway and facing his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories, Loki and Eisa reach Utgard on a very important day for this city. Many travellers and merchants from the Nine Realms have gathered and he found out information about the war, but not enough to prove anything. He needs to infiltrate the fortress of Utgard.]_

Loki and Eisa waited in deep silence, hidden behind trees not far from the fortress' ramparts. Utgard was very different from Asgard on this point: where the Golden Fortress was high above the city and more brilliant than any jewel in Asgard, the fortress of Utgard – known as the strongest of all Nine Realms – was grey and threatening. The city was built in the mountain itself and at the top of the mountain stood the fortress protected by high ramparts. Everything was made of grey hard stone; even Thor wouldn't be able to break it with his mighty Mjollnir.

After gaining some more information about the Jotunn nobleman coming with its army, Loki and Eisa had slowly made their way towards the top of the mountain, avoiding all guards by hiding behind the trees around the fortress. The nobleman was said to be arriving soon, with his personal army and maids. Of course, like all cortege, they would come on carts filled with trunks and boxes.

"Are you sure they'll come by here and not a side gate?" Eisa asked in a low voice.

"I'm sure," Loki answered simply without bothering to look at her.

"Why?"

"Because as a  _Prince_ , I know how these kinds of ceremonials functions. A war is coming against Asgard, Fornjótr needs to reassure its people by showing off the power of his allies by making them come by the main road to his main gates," he explained as calmly as he could despite his obvious annoyance.

Eisa fell silent, both of them waiting once again. Loki had explained his plan several times to her – to make sure she had understood right and now – they had nothing to do but wait.

The girl tucked a lock of hair behind her ear before realizing it was still held up with the hair stick. She glanced at Loki a moment before flushing and breaking the silence:

"B-by the way… The hair stick, I need to—"

"Shush! They're coming!" He hissed, cutting her suddenly.

They heard the horses and footsteps of warriors before seeing them, but when the first horses appeared, carrying a nobleman wearing huge armour, face held up and gaze ready for battle, the two spies couldn't help but shiver. He was huge, even for a Jotunn –  _much_  bigger than Thor, and  _the later_  was  _really_  big, even for an Asgardian. His horse was the biggest Loki had ever seen – bigger than Sleipnir himself – to carry such a fierce man.

There were only two horses, likely carrying his advisors, following and a group of soldiers, all big and carrying spears, swords and shields. This cortege looked more like an army going for to battle than just a simple meeting with a King – which meant that war was almost inevitable at this point, Loki realised with dread.

Then followed a group of maids walking much more calmly than the army, and finally, what was interesting most Loki and Eisa: the carts. As soon as they passed in front of them, the two spies ran from the forest in complete silence, fell behind the unwatched rear of the last cart and climbed up in it, hiding behind a tarpaulin.

Eisa looked up at Loki but said nothing, a knee on the bottom of the cart and the other raised, both ready to jump out if necessary. They could feel every single stone the wagon rolled over and every hole it fell into as the powerful horses pulled them abruptly up the mountain towards the gates.

They heard the sound of the stone huge doors being opened and both were enveloped for a short moment by the green light of their seiðr, dropping their illusion of Giants they had kept up until then. They could have used an invisibility spell and walked past the guards, or found another way, but Loki had noticed the same spell protecting the gates and ramparts that protected Asgard; it broke any other spell at the moment you put your foot through an entrance of any kind. If they had gone with an invisibility spell, it would have disappeared and would have raised an alarm.

Loki saw through a little space between two tarpaulins that they were entering the gates and were now in the inner court. His heart missed a beat but no alert sounded off, which meant they had infiltrated Utgard fortress with success.

Thankfully, once they had passed the gates and ramparts, their seiðr could be used once again – otherwise, Loki would have been terribly bored if he couldn't pull any tricks back in Asgard's fortress.

He breathed out the breath he was holding and waited several minutes for the wagon to stop completely. He made a sign to Eisa and after checking the surroundings and realizing they were behind the fortress itself, they climbed out of the wagon and ran for cover behind a wall.

Still hidden, Loki saw several Jotunns going in and out of the fortress by a side door. Taking the appearances of a typical Jotunn working for the King, the pair advanced calmly and entered the door, making their way in the huge stony palace.

Loki glanced around, more shocked than he expected to be at the sight of the very beautiful tapestries on the walls, as well as delicately decorated armour. He had been taught that Jotunns were monsters; he never thought they would be able to make such art.

"It's beautiful…" Eisa – under her disguise of a Jotunn – murmured to him after admiring a particularly pretty tapestry.

Loki nodded absentmindedly, still shaken by this revelation. He had studied the Mountain Giants' language and commerce because this knowledge was necessary as a Prince of Asgard; but he had never imagined his enemies would have such a delicate and artistic side, those tapestries were as beautiful (if not more) than the ones made by his own mother, the Queen Frigga, known as the best weaver in the Nine Realms.

He was brought back to reality by his companion when the Völva shook his sleeve and gave a nod towards the end of the hall where a man and three soldiers were walking, talking to one another.

"Lord Nuallán only wants Sir Ari and Sir Eiríkr with him when he will be speaking with His Majesty King Fornjótr; the three of you will have to keep an eye on the entrances and exits of the Throne Room. Do not even think about bothering any of them or Sir Ari will be the one taking care of you. Is that clear?"

The three men quickly nodded, paling at the very name of this 'Sir Ari'. The man ordered them to follow him. Loki and Eisa, went after them without a word, understanding each other perfectly. They walked as quietly as cats; Loki quickly put a hand on the last man's mouth to smother his cry as a dagger cut the man's throat quickly and efficiently. The body went numb against him and he pulled the dead man behind a wall, still in silence. Loki noticed that Eisa had done the same effective job on the other man on the other side of the hall. They shared a glance and a nod, falling into steps behind the man and the third soldier. After being enveloped in the green light of their seiðr, they reappeared as the two dead soldiers right when the man turned around, frowning.

"Did you hear anything?" He asked.

The two spies – and the third one who looked lost and innocent (as lost and innocent a Jotunn can look as) – all shook their heads. The man shrugged and kept walking, the others following him.

Loki had a hard time not laughing when he realized how smoothly it had gone and that they would infiltrate the Throne Room itself – he couldn't hope for anything better than this occasion. He thanked the Norns for giving him such an easy path to accomplish his mission.

After a few minutes of walking, the three soldiers entered the Throne Room and went to their different spots.

Loki looked around quickly. The room was huge (but nowhere as huge as the Asgardian Throne Room) and as grey as the rest of the fortress. There were massive windows letting in sunlight, but he also noticed banners hanging from the walls with the arms of Jotunheim's main families. There were washbasins with burning fires all across the room but what caught his eye was the huge throne on a few stairs on which King Fornjótr sat. His son, the Crown Prince Björn, was sitting on a throne at the bottom of the stairs, looking as terrible as always.

Loki had met King Fornjótr and his son several times during diplomatic meetings. They never lasted; it was always too tense and the Giants left as soon as possible – which was most appreciated by the Asgardian court. Loki hated Björn who was violent and rude – at first, he had reminded Loki of Thor, until Björn showed how twisted and bloodthirsty he really was. Thor wasn't the brightest mind or the purest man and even if he was willing to go to war anytime, he didn't kill whoever had displeased him. As for Fornjótr, he usually appeared calm and willing to discuss terms, but if he was disrespected, he would glare until someone felt uneasy and apologized – Odin always ended up laughing about this habit of Fornjótr's as soon as he was alone with his closest advisors. The All Father was the only one with a gaze fierce enough to hold it up against Fornjótr.

" _He is no fool, unlike his son, but he has a hot blood raging for battle."_ Odin had once said.

The All Father had never been more right. Loki could see the rage burning slowly in the dark blue eyes of Fornjótr as he sat on his throne. He appeared calm, but his gaze was furious and screaming for war. He seemed to want that more than anything; Loki realized that Fornjótr had been waiting for centuries to have a good reason to go to war against Asgard – and now he was making it happen.

Björn, on the other hand, seemed eager and impatient, always moving on his throne, his bright blue eyes almost mad with the idea of the coming battle. He shared his father's sandy blond hair; both of them wore it long and messy, decorated with braids and golden pearls. As if the Crown Prince knew an Asgardian was staring at him, he suddenly grinned, a feverish thirst appearing in his eyes, as if he was imagining himself cutting the Asgardian Princes' throats.

"Lord Nuallán accompanied by Sir Ari and Sir Eiríkr, Your Majesty," a man announced before opening the huge doors.

The huge Jotunn that had made Loki so uncomfortable earlier entered, the sound of his boots on the floor resonating through the whole room. He had long dark brown hair that he wore braided and his eyes were icy blue, darkened with kohl. His brown and black furs and his armour made him look even more impressive than his body already was. The two men followed close behind him; the first had black short hair and golden eyes and the second had bright red hair. They were both big enough to compete with Thor when it came to muscles, but behind Lord Nuallán, they looked like children.

"Nuallán! Old friend!" Fornjótr exclaimed, opening his arms and grinning, but didn't move from his throne, "Welcome in Utgard!"

He made a pause, turning towards the two men behind Nuallán.

"Sir Ari, Eiríkr," the King added with nods at the two men.

Ari was the black haired one and Eiríkr the red hair one, they both bowed to the King but it was Nuallán who spoke up.

"King Fornjótr and Prince Björn," he saluted with a short nod of the head.

Loki almost rolled his eyes at his lack of manners – he was almost certain his mother would have shrieked and shouted at him about how to  _properly_  talk to royalty but neither the King nor Prince seemed insulted.

"I believe you are aware of the reasons for your coming here," the King started, serious once again.

"I had heard a lot of things before receiving your message, but I wanted to know what is true and isn't in the middle of all those tales of war and spies," he answered with a voice that raged and boomed like thunder (Loki didn't want to hear him yelling in anger).

"I sent a spy in Asgard – which you know."

"Of  _course_  I know, I was  _there_  when you proposed it at Jotunheim's last Council. I said I was supporting you in your seeking for war against those filthy Asgardians!"

"It took us some centuries, but I will finally take revenge for my sister…" Fornjótr murmured in a hard voice, his gaze suddenly turned cold.

Loki thought deeply, trying to remember who his sister was; then it hit him: Fornjótr's sister was the previous Queen of Jotunheim, Queen Knorda who had tried, three centuries ago, a foolish war against Asgard – but Odin had stopped her madness and his brother took the throne after she was killed in battle.

"Her death brought you to the throne, Your Majesty. It was to your benefit, wasn't it?" Ari said with an evil smile.

The King reflected the same smile and nodded:

"Indeed, but it's also a good excuse to go to war against Asgard. Plus, thanks to my spy, we have received very interesting information – which is why I asked to the Lords of Jotunheim to join me in this war."

Loki froze despite himself: that one or two Lords would join their King in a war was more than possible. According to what they had just said, however, it was the whole Council of Jotunheim that had given their accord for the King to send a spy. Fornjótr hadn't simply mentioned the Mountain Giants Lords but the Lords of  _Jotunheim_ , which meant a war not just against the Mountain Giants, but  _all_  of Giants.

"Asgard is preparing a massive attack against Jotunheim, in order to  _wipe_  us out! They want us all dead and our Realm to be theirs!" Fornjótr exclaimed, rising in anger

"What?!" Nuallán shouted while his two advisors wore looks of complete shock and revulsion.

Loki's mouth fell open in astonishment and he sensed Eisa's gaze on him, as shocked as he was. Asgard wasn't preparing a war against Jotunheim, if Odin had planned anything against them, he would have told his sons.

The Asgardian Prince frowned while the conversation continued:

"The All Father cannot do such a thing! The other Realms would stop following him if he were to try such a thing! It's madness!" Eiríkr exclaimed.

"Nonetheless, we have the proof of such intention," Björn interrupted, his grin wide and wild at the idea of such a war.

He made a sign of his hand while his father sat again, and a man who was hidden in the shadows brought a letter to Nuallán and his companions indicating all the 'proof' the spy had gathered. The Lord frowned upon reading this and a sudden rage filled him, which made him look even more impressive – if possible.

Loki was dying to snatch the paper and know this 'proof' but he had no way to reach it without revealing himself.

"Odin had gone mad!" Nuallán declared with his thunderous voice.

"Is your spy sure?" Ari asked, raising a suspicious eyebrow.

"More than sure, he is faithful to us and Jotunheim. He found all this proof and managed to cause mayhem among the Asgardian court to destabilise them; he used magic to turn all of Queen Frigga's maids against her and we know that Odin sent one of his spies here, to Utgard."

"Any idea who it is, this spy?" Eiríkr asked.

Loki glanced at Eisa, she was trying to look emotionless, but her eyes showed how shaken and relieved she felt to know her mother was innocent. What worried Loki more, however, was that they knew about the spy, even if they didn't appear to know his identity.

"No idea, several of his spies went here. Our spy had been following them but he lost track of that spy after the Misty Mountain."

Loki remembered what Eisa had told him: that something or  _someone_  had been following him from the Bifröst landing site, killing off every single one of the Asgardians who were supposed to help him. The Misty Mountain was the mountain they had climbed to go through the Crossway; this meant it had worked and the spy had lost their trail.

"We only heard from my spy recently: he told us he was going back to Asgard in order to know what the All Father was preparing."

"We don't know where this Asgardian spy went, then?" Ari asked, frowning.

"It's more than likely he tried to go through the Crossway; the fool is dead by now," Björn answered with a snicker.

"What are you planning exactly, Fornjótr?" Nuallán asked, giving the paper with the 'proof' back to the young man, who hid in the shadows once again.

"To avenge my sister. With the excuse of this threat from Odin, I'll declare war to Asgard and we will destroy Odin, his family, his allies and his entire Realm! He wants to make Jotunheim his, but we will be the ones taking over Asgard! We'll make the Golden City our new Jotunn capital!" He shouted, throwing his fist against the armrest of his throne.

Nuallán grinned then took a step forward, his dark aura sending shivers down the two spies' spines.

"Count me, and my army, as your ally, my King Fornjótr!" He exclaimed.

The King smirked and then tilted his head slightly towards his son, who was grinning like a fool.

"Good. Now, my son, would you please be kind enough to kill the spy who infiltrated our fortress?" He asked with a cheerful voice.

Loki didn't even have time to react that Björn had taken a crossbow from his side and shot. The arrow hit Loki's shoulder; he let out a cry of pain as it flung him backwards. He fell against the wall, his hand breaking the arrow while he glared up at the Jotunns, clenching his teeth.

The King and Prince looked highly satisfied with their surprise while the shock on the three noblemen's face was being erased with anger.

"This fool is dead by now," Björn said, repeating the same words as earlier – which now sounded more like a threat than a statement. "You should have stayed lost in the Crossway; your death would have been much more less painful than the one waiting for you here, in Utgard!" He exclaimed.

"Guards, grab him!" The King ordered.

Loki tried to move but two Jotunn guards had grabbed him, lifting him up on his legs and pushing him forward. One of them pressed his hand against his injury, more blood flowing from his shoulder. A raging scream escaped the spy's throat while he was pushed down on his knees in front of King Fornjótr. The prisoner's arms were kept behind his back, which hurt his shoulder even more, but Loki glared at the king with a vicious gaze, clenching his fists and jaw.

"Drop your illusion," Fornjótr ordered.

"Or should we make it more painful by draining you of your seiðr?" Ari proposed with a wicked grin.

Loki – still under his disguise – swallowed hard. His mother had told him about the ways of torturing seiðr users, or forcing them to drop illusions or spells. He had never gone through such a thing, but he definitely didn't want to try.

He clenched his jaw and took a deep breath while a green light flickered around him, making him appear as who he really was: Prince Loki Odinson of Asgard.

They all looked shocked, most because they weren't expecting Prince Loki to be the spy than because they were impressed.

The first one to break the silence was Björn with his sudden loud laugh.

"Prince Loki! I can't believe it!"

"Since when does Odin send his own  _sons_  to spy on his enemy?" Eiríkr said, snickering.

Loki didn't answer, sending a burning glare at the King.

"I knew that he was desperate and ready to do anything to win a war, but to go as far as sacrificing his son?"

"What son is he, anyway? He is a seiðr user, barely able to hold a fight against his brother," Ari said, lifting up his foot.

The Asgardian Prince didn't have time to try any moves before Ari kicked his face violently, laughing joyfully.

Frozen in shock, too angry to feel the pain, Loki stared coldly at the ground, his raven black hair falling in front of his eyes like a dark curtain.

"Odin has given us the best hostage we could have asked for! With his son in chains at our side, Odin will have no choice but to give up his Realm for your pathetic life! Oh, except if this is what he intended to do from the beginning; I mean,  _who_  would want such a  _failure_  as son?" Nuallán mocked with an evil grin before laughing, jerking his head backwards.

" _He is such a failure."_

" _I can't believe Odin has such a son. I am so sorry for him…"_

" _He is so different from Thor! Thor is so bright and this Prince is so… disappointing."_

" _He is nothing like his father and brother."_

" _He is Loki, after all."_

Loki hated what had happened to him in the Labyrinth more than ever and the way it opened his eyes to so many things, especially that the Nine Realms  _knew_  he was a disappointment to his father. Perhaps Nuallán was right and Odin had agreed to send Loki to spy on Jotunheim solely to get rid off the embarrassment.

Whether this was right or not, Loki would not let those vile Mountain Giants use him as a card against Asgard.

If anything, this rage was more than useful to fight.

Loki's cold green eyes turned towards the men looking down at him. His gaze had turned so vile, so vicious, so hard and cold that they all took a step back, their hearts missing a beat at seeing such a furious and raging Loki.

He saw a black flicker at one of the window from the corner of his eyes and he just had time to recognise the two black birds before they flew off: Huginn and Muninn, the All Father's ravens. They would fly back to Asgard and share with the All Father what they had heard and seen.

Loki didn't have to think any longer about the presence of the two birds, his thoughts being brought back by the King. Trying to shake off his embarrassment at being so suddenly uncomfortable, Fornjótr laughed, but the sound was off and bitter, not convincing.

"A hostage? Don't be foolish! Let's send him back to Asgard!" He exclaimed.

His son and his allies all turned towards him, confused, before he grinned darkly at Loki's figure, kneeling, injured and weak at his feet.

"In little pieces…" He added with a wide smirk. "This way, Odin will have no choice but declare war as revenge; it will be his  _fall_ …" He murmured with a cold satisfaction.

His allies smiled as well, imitating the cold, mad look he had.

Björn, a dagger in hand, took a step forward, looking down at Loki as he struggled to free himself from the guard's grip, but the other man was much stronger than him.

"You've always annoyed me, Loki; it will be such a pleasure to cut you into pieces. Let be  _your_  blood be the first to flood! Let the blood of Odin's house taint our skins when we get ready for battle!" He exclaimed, lifting his blade.

Björn grinned but suddenly gasped, attracting everyone's attention. He moaned and everyone noticed the guard that had silently approached them in all the commotion and stabbed the Prince in the back. Too shocked to do or say anything, Eisa, still disguised as a guard, quickly lifted up her hand and cut his throat with her own dagger. The blood spurted suddenly, splashing on the ground and against the four men and their prisoner.

"N-NO!" King Fornjótr yelled, surging forward to grab his son's body as it fell on the ground, lifeless. "B-BJÖRN!" He shouted, voice shaking with fury.

Eisa dropped her illusion and, seeing Nuallán, Eiríkr and Ari's shocked expression upon seeing their Prince killed by another spy who turned out to be a woman, she jumped forward and hit the guard holding Loki with her dagger. His throat deeply cut, he yelled in pain, lifting up his hands stained carmine before falling backwards.

Loki, now free, quickly got up and turned around to run, followed closely by Eisa.

"CATCH THEM! CATCH THEM BOTH AND BRING ME THEIR DEAD BODIES!" Fornjótr shouted, still holding his son's body against him.

His voice was furious; his body was trembling in rage and pain while his face was covered in his son's blood and tears rolled down his cheeks.

"KILL THEM!" He yelled.

Fornjótr's loud voice made his three allies jump and they started to run after Loki and Eisa, who had already reached the door. The Prince threw daggers at the guards who advanced to stop them and he used his seiðr against the door to push it open while Eisa made green lights appear in her hands. The light turned into long whips that grabbed the closest washbasins of fire and with a gesture; they flew against the three men, who stopped, lifting up their arms to protect their faces. The flames and sparks flew to the ground and against the banners on the walls, quickly spreading and creating a barrier of fire at the door blocking the two fugitives' escape.

"CATCH THEM!" Fornjótr shouted again.

Every time a guard appeared in the halls, alerted by the yells or the fire, either Loki or Eisa knocked him down with seiðr before continuing, trying to make their way outside the fortress.

"Any ideas?!" Eisa shouted, glancing at Loki.

"Run!" He yelled.

" _Brilliant!"_  She mocked.

Two guards blocked their way; the Prince took out a dagger, surging toward one of them. It went straight into his heart and the god turned around to hit the other guard with his fist. The guard stumbled backwards but lifted up his sword and shield, glaring viciously at his adversary. He jumped forward, his blade ready to hit the Prince but Loki moved out of the way and with his dagger, sliced the guard's wrist holding the sword. The nerves cut and the blood flooding, the guard yelled in pain and tried to take a step back. He never had time because Loki's dagger flew into his throat and he fell on the ground in a pool of blood.

The Prince, followed closely by the seiðr user, ran; finally finding a door leading outside as they heard the running footsteps of more guards.

They landed in a courtyard where several maids and workers screamed in terror and ran around. Loki and Eisa ran forward as they realized there wasn't a rampart; it was a side road for those coming from the city and the fortress. Loki and Eisa accelerated as they heard the guards flooding from the fortress, surrounding them.

They both froze at the edge of the platform, almost falling off as they stared down at the steep cliff as high as the mountain with the river raging down in the valley. Loki pulled Eisa backwards and they turned around, daggers ready, while more guards arrived.

"Catch them alive! I want to torture them slowly before cutting them into pieces!" Nuallán's voice resonated through the courtyard.

Loki looked around at the Jotunn guards wearing armours and carrying spears, shields and swords at their sides. There were over fifty surrounding them, slowly trying to catch them.

"Loki…" Eisa murmured nervously, licking her lower lip in panic as they both looked around, completely outnumbered, "Right now would a great time for a brilliant idea…" She whispered, her voice trembling anxiously.

Some guards were pushed away by Nuallán and his two advisors. They still were stained with their Prince's blood and glared furiously at the two cornered spies. The huge brown-haired man laughed dryly upon seeing them trapped.

"What could you possibly do  _trickster?!_  You're  _ours_  now, Loki!" He exclaimed with a bitter dark laugh, "You will be the cause of Asgard's fall!"

"I won't give you this satisfaction!" Loki hissed back with a cold glare, moving his dagger between his fingers.

He suddenly turned around, grabbed Eisa's arm and jumped off the cliff with her.

"NO!" Nuallán yelled, surging forward as fast as possible.

Loki and Eisa shouted as they fell down the cliff, right towards their death.

* * *

_I don't know if I mentioned it already, but I will write a second part to this fanfic. :)_

_NEXT CHAPTER: DECLARATION OF WAR_

_Things are getting serious, and the epicness is coming!_

_Tell me what you think! :D_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	15. Declaration of War

_Here's the chapter! :D_

_Thank you to all who commentede, kudoed and boomarked! :D_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER XV : Declaration of War

_[Loki is sent to spy on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something has been following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. After going through the Crossway and facing his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories they infiltrate the fortress of Utgard, they find out that the Giants want war more than ever and after killing the Mountain Giants' Prince and being cornered, jump off a cliff.]_

_ Asgard, tenth day of Loki's mission _

Odin felt the presence of his ravens before seeing them flying towards him. He extended his right arm and one bird landed on it while the other settled on his shoulder.

Frigga got up upon seeing the two black birds, wringing her hands worriedly. Thor, healed from the poison but still weak, stayed seated, but looked with concerned blue eyes at his father, waiting for news.

Muninn, " _memory_ ", hopped on Odin's shoulder as the god tilted his head slightly to listen. To everyone listening, the clicking and squawking of the two birds made no sense, but the birds' magic could be felt. Their cackle had some sort of whisper, the whisper of magic, a language in itself but Odin's two messengers' magic was unique. Despite that, Frigga and Thor could almost perceive a word in Muninn's squawking:  _"Lo-ki, Lo-ki, Lo-ki"._  The chant was like a dark melody that sent shivers down their spines.

Once the raven was done with his report, Odin lifted his head and looked over at the beautiful Asgardian sky.

"What did he say?" Thor asked abruptly.

"Does he know where Loki is?" Frigga inquired; worry had been killing her since she last heard about him.

Her dear son had disappeared from Heimdall's view, and worse, Týr had gone to Jotunheim only to find the signs of a fight against a dragon and had retrieved the dead bodies of the Asgardians sent to protect him. There had been no sign of Loki ever since.

Odin didn't answer right away; he walked slowly, almost limping towards his golden seat before falling in it, letting down his mask of liege in front of his family. His shoulders dropped, as if his ravens were suddenly too heavy.

"Odin?" Frigga called, her voice shaking in panic at his intense silence.

"They caught him," he simply said, breaking the silence that threatened to choke them all.

For a moment, none answered, not sure they had heard right.

"They caught Loki," Odin repeated.

The Queen inhaled a deep shaky breath, a hand covering her mouth while Thor opened his eyes wide, panic and sadness clashing in it.

"W-what?" He hesitated, "It's impossible! Loki would not be caught so easily!" He exclaimed, getting up suddenly.

"What happened? Since… since…" Frigga hesitated, trying to remain strong.

"I don't know, Muninn and Huginn were flying around Utgard to find out about an army but there wasn't even a nervous horse. They approached the fortress and spied on King Fornjótr. He is preparing for war."

The tension in the room sparked even more until he continued, his voice hard and dark:

"They arrived in the middle of the conversation, but King Fornjótr is assembling an army. Loki was discovered in the room and…"

His voice trailed off while Frigga closed her eyes tightly, unable to hold back her tears anymore. Thor took a step forward, frowning in fear of what had become of his brother.

"What happened to him?" He asked in a shaky voice.

Odin stared at the table in front of him, not saying a thing, which only worried his wife and son more.

"What happened to my brother?!" Thor yelled, his heart beating soundly against his chest in cold fear.

"He is captured and into the hands of our enemies. He is a hostage of Jotunheim," the All Father finally said.

Silence fell in the room again until Frigga choked on her strangled sob and turned around, hiding her tears. Thor tried to understand what this meant. His little brother, one of the mightiest warriors of Asgard, had been  _captured?_  He was a  _hostage?_  Thor couldn't believe it, but the way his father was looking down with one wide eye, looking pale and shaken by whatever detail Muninn had given him left no doubt. Thor's heart sank and he clenched his fists, blinking away the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"We have to go!" He exclaimed with a voice weaker than he intended.

His father didn't answer, so he continued:

"If Loki has been captured by the Mountain Giants who want war then let's give it to them! We need to free my brother and—"

"No," Odin cut suddenly.

It took a moment for his son to process what had been said before his heart missed a beat and he frowned at his father:

"What?"

"We can't attack Jotunheim," the All Father said with a firm voice.

Thor hesitated, shaking his blond head slightly before reacting violently.

"Why?! They have sent a spy among us, are preparing for war and have captured my brother, a Prince of Asgard! We can't let them get away with that! We need to attack before—"

"This is  _exactly_  what they want!" Odin yelled.

His shout was so sudden that even Frigga, usually used to her husband's fits, started and looked between father and son. Thor's wide eyes stared into his father's one and electricity sparked between them.

"Arrh…" The King muttered, slumping back against his throne, hand on his heart, "We… can't attack Jotunheim. This is what they want of us…" He repeated, looking straight into his son's eyes.

"B-but… L-Loki is…" Thor whispered, panic rising in his chest once again.

"Loki is able to handle himself. He was supposed to stay safe and come back with information, not become a tool for the Mountain Giants to throw at us. Think of our position in this, Thor: we have sent a spy, my son nonetheless, right into Utgard's fortress. With Loki captured, the Mountain Giants have all reasons to declare that we have spied on them and betrayed our truce."

"They sent a spy before and—"

"We have no proof of it but dead corpses now turned into ashes!" Odin exclaimed.

Thor swallowed hard while the All Father continued:

"We are in a position of weakness and vulnerability: if we attack Jotunheim, it will not be seen as retrieving a Prince of Asgard, but a will for war. This is what they wanted of us from the beginning: that we send a spy that would allow them to appear as a victim attacked on their own territory."

Odin shifted on his seat to be more comfortable, but he was too nervous and worried and both his wife and son could see it.

"This is why we can't attack Jotunheim. We have to wait for them to make a move against us out of impatience." He repeated firmly, challenging his heir to speak against him again with his eye.

Thor swallowed and remained silent, understanding how delicate the situation was. It was Frigga who took a step forward, frowning lightly despite the distress in her eyes at knowing her son was imprisoned.

"But… a move against us… it would be…"

"Yes," Odin simply said, looking down in shame.

"You can't let that happen!" She exclaimed, anger appearing in her gaze.

Thor looked between them, not understanding what was happening. He was about to ask what his mother meant, but she continued, revealing what she knew the All Father was thinking about:

"If it's not a direct attack against Asgard, then Loki— you can't let that happen! He is our  _son!_  You can't let him die for your pride!" She shrieked, furious that Odin wouldn't try to find another solution.

Thor's eyes widened in panic, but his father threw a hard annoyed look at his wife which didn't make her flinch the slightest:

"He is our son,  _which_  is why I trust him in escaping—"

"Your Majesty!"

They all turned towards Týr, Orvar, Freyr and Hermód who had entered in the room without being announced.

"What is it?" Odin asked immediately, tense upon seeing the serious looks on his advisors' faces.

"We just received a message from King Fornjótr!" Hermód, God of Messengers, announced before handling a roll to Odin.

The King got up suddenly, his ravens flapping their wings to balance themselves while he took the roll and read it quickly, brows furrowing immediately. Silence reigned in the room until he looked up at Thor and Frigga, who were watching him anxiously, scared to hear news they didn't want to think about.

"King Fornjótr is declaring war against Asgard after his son's assassination by an Asgardian spy." He announced, a light of victory shining into his blue eye.

"Loki—" Frigga started nervously.

"Is not mentioned," he cut in, "but it is most likely he escaped, killing Björn  _and_  giving us the right to defence ourselves against Jotunheim."

"Did you plan for this to happen?" Thor asked in a low voice, frowning at his father.

The All Father ignored him and took Gungnir, his spear. He lifted up his head, looking fiercer and prouder and turned towards his advisors, a bright fire burning in his eye.

"Let us prepare the troops for the battle to come. Hermód, I want you to send a message to all of our soldiers and our allies: we need as much strength as possible. Týr, Freyr," he called, turning towards his generals, "let us discuss a strategy while the message is spread."

"The message…" Frigga repeated in a low voice, frowning lightly.

Her husband turned towards her, a brave yet dangerous look on his face: the look of a King heading for battle and a father ready to avenge his son.

"The war against Jotunheim," he announced with a hard voice, the tip of his spear sparkling coldly.

Hermód turned around, running off to send messages to all of Asgard and the Nine Realms. Týr, Orvar and Freyr followed the All Father while Frigga remained in the room. Thor ran after his father, catching up with him quickly.

"Father! Let me lead a rescue mission for Loki!" He exclaimed.

"No, Loki can handle himself – he just proved it."

"But—"

"Thor," Odin interrupted, his voice threatening.

He stopped so suddenly that Thor almost fell over when he tried to stop as well. He turned towards his father who looked suddenly angrier and more impatient with a war to get ready for.

"Loki went into Jotunheim alone, survived a battle against a dragon and assassin who was after him, and managed to arrive in Utgard to gain information. Even after being discovered, he fought his way out, killed one of the finest warriors the Mountain Giants know and gave us an opportunity to attack without being seen as attackers."

He put a hand on his son's shoulder; Thor stared at him, mouth hanging open.

"Be proud of your brother and trust him. He is alive and doesn't need rescue, I know it."

Thor looked down, clenching his jaw and fists, his heart tight with worry and fear.

"You don't know everything…" He murmured.

Odin's eye was sharp when he threw his son a look, but didn't respond. Instead, he dropped his hand and kept walking, to a wide table where a map of Jotunheim was spread, followed by his son and three closest advisors.

"Freyr, can I count on Vanaheim to ally with us?" The All Father asked, looking up at the Sun God.

"I cannot answer for them, but I will personally go and inquire after their alliance for this war, if it is your wish, Your Majesty," he answered firmly with a short nod of his head.

Odin nodded before pointing at some plains on the map.

"The only battlefield close to Utgard is the Plain of Sigrún. The only way to access it, for us, will be to cross those mountains and those valleys."

"It will be easy for the Mountain Giants to trap us if we take this way," Thor noticed, frowning.

"Except if we lure them into another trap," Odin replied, eye bright.

"What do you plan?" He asked, blinking at his father.

"Thor, you will take the Warriors Three and Lady Sif. The five of you will lead the main troops."

The Thunder God looked up, mouth hanging opened in shock. It took him a moment to process to what this meant. He finally shook his head, looking confused.

"Wait— the  _main_  troops? Wouldn't Orvar or Týr be more qualified? Leading the main troops, I am not sure I—"

"Thor, you should be honoured. Rare are the warriors as young as you who can lead troops. Tales will be told of your glory during this battle." Týr said with an encouraging smile.

"Y-you think?" The Heir hesitated, more embarrassed and confused than he would admit.

"I'm sure," he answered.

Orvar and Freyr nodded with smiles at the Prince who felt confidence and pride surging within him. He smiled and gave a short nod to his father.

"It's an honour, All Father," he said, bowing slightly in front of him.

Odin nodded before giving more indications about his plan and theories.

After this short war council, Thor went to look for the Warriors Three and Lady Sif. His heart hammered against his chest, in excitement for battle as well as worry and fear for his brother as he searched for his friends, to share with them the good news: they would lead the troops in one of the most glorious battles Asgard had known.

_ Meanwhile in Utgard, Jotunheim _

The sky looked almost white from the rising sun behind clouds as King Fornjótr stared at the embers and ashes, the only remains of his son. After the announcement of the Prince's death, funerals were held by night, according to the traditional ceremony. Most people had gone asleep for hours by now; others were mourning their friends and families – the ones who died killed by Loki and his Völva; as much as the ones to come, now that the war against Asgard had been announced.

"Your Majesty," Lord Nuallán called, arriving behind him.

The King didn't look away from the bright embers as the sky was slowly charged itself with clouds, darker and darker by the minute.

"What do you want?" Fornjótr asked in a low, hoarse voice, motionless.

"We cannot find Loki's body, nor that of his associate," Nuallán answered, trying to lower his booming voice – without much success.

For a moment, the Jotunn King didn't move before lifting up his gaze slightly, just enough to stare at the mountains surrounding him and the sky covered in clouds.

"Keep looking," he said with the same tone.

Nuallán hesitated, shifting his massive weight from one foot to the other. He glanced over his shoulder at his two advisors, Ari and Eiríkr, who both tightened their lips upon seeing their King so weak with grief.

"With all due respect, My Liege, I saw them falling onto the rocks before their bodies were taken by the river. There is no way they could have survived such a fall, much less the river or—"

"He is a seiðr user, and she is a Völva. They could have used some trick to lure you into thinking they are dead. Keep looking for their corpses. I will not rest until I have Loki's body at my feet, dead or alive."

The dark haired Giant stared at his King before giving a sharp nod at Ari, who answered with the same gesture before turning around and leaving – not that the King had noticed his presence to begin with.

King Fornjótr turned towards Lord Nuallán and Sir Eiríkr slowly, his dark blue eyes widened and filled with many emotions: grief, sorrow, sadness, guilt, but mostly, fury.

"I will walk into battle with Loki's head on my spear and his blood as war paint on my face!" He hissed, mad eyes shining brighter than the cloud-covered sky.

* * *

_I hope you like it. Writing with another pov than Loki's is a good thing, eeven if next chapter will not be with his pov too! ;)_

_Freyr, Hermodr and Tyr are actual gods from the myths. Freyr is a Vanr from the allied Realm of Vanaheim, he is the God of Sun. And Tyr is the God of War. Hermodr is the Messenger God. And as for Orvar, I created him (like all the Mountain Giants btw) and his name means "Arrow" in Old Norse. I don't remember where I found the name "Fornjotr", but for the others: Nuallán "Noble, famous," (Ancient Irish); Ari "Eagle" (Ancient Scandinavian) & Eiríkr "Ruler of Always" (Old Norse)_

_NEXT CHAPTER : THE DEED OF THE NORNS_

_Tell me what you think! :D_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	16. The Deed of the Norns

_Here is the chapter :)_

_Thanks to the ones who kudoed and booked! :D_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER XVI : The Deed of the Norns

_[Loki is sent to spy on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something has been following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. After going through the Crossway and facing his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories they infiltrate the fortress of Utgard, they find out that the Giants want war more than ever and after killing the Mountain Giants' Prince and being cornered, jump off a cliff. They are considered dead while Odin and Fornjótr both prepare themselves for the battle to come.]_

The river was raging when a hand suddenly reached out from the water and grabbed a rock, nails scratching the stone while another hand managed to hold on. Eisa managed to pull herself of the water long enough to take a deep breath, coughing the water from her lungs. She wrapped her arms around the rocks, lifting herself up with shaking limbs before collapsing on the bank of the furious river. Her auburn hair, almost black from the water, fell all around her face while she breathed, trying to calm her panicked heart. For a long moment, the only thing she could hear was the furious current of the river behind her and the drops of water falling from her face, hair and clothes.

Her green eyes suddenly widened and she stopped breathing, her whole body freezing in terror before looking up. She looked around frenetically at the riverbank, at the other side of the river, the waves of the tumultuous water…

"Loki…" She breathed, rising to her knees to look all around.

Her green eyes filled with panic and worry as she watched the water, but saw no sign of the raven-haired man anywhere.

"N-no…"

The only things she could see were the pine trees, the dark cloudy sky and the blue and white of the river.

Eisa remembered the fall. Loki had grabbed her arm, pushed them off the cliff and turned her around so that he was the one hitting the water, using his seiðr to shield them. As soon as they had hit the tumultuous river, the current had washed them away, making them disappear into violent waves, stealing their breath away and filling their lungs with water. She didn't remember when his hand had let go of hers, but she had lost sign of his dark figure almost immediately before starting to drown.

"L-Loki!" She started calling, hoping he was somewhere in the near forest and would emerge at hearing her voice, "LOKI!" She shouted desperately.

Eisa didn't even recall how she managed to get out of the water; the current had been too strong for her – or Loki – to swim. It had just taken them away violently, letting them breathe a little every once in a while before trying to drown them again. She had hit rocks, pebbles, branches of trees, but mostly, she had kept trying to reach for Loki's hand in the water.

Now the sound of the rushing water faded away, leaving only her panicked heartbeat. She couldn't lose Loki, not  _now_ , not after they've come so far.

"N-no…" She whispered, tears filling her eyes along with despair and her breathing becoming short.

Suddenly, she noticed something in the water, a silhouette as blue as the water but unlike the mad waves of the river, it wasn't moving. Eisa stared at it through her watery vision and gasped when she realized that they were two dark blue eyes observing her closely. The silhouette moved and suddenly, it rose from the river. Eisa fell backwards, mouth wide open in shock at seeing a Nixe, a Water Spirit. She was naked but her long dark blue hair fell over her body and floating in the water, her whole body looked as if it was made of the clearest part of the river.

" _The Prince cannot die yet. The Norns refuse it."_  She said calmly, her voice sounding far away, as enchanting as a waterfall and as feral as the tumultuous river.

For a moment, Eisa was too astonished to know what to do or say. She frowned when she realized the meaning of the words.

"The Norns…?" She repeated in dread, "Of course, the  _Norns_ …!" She exclaimed before advancing to kneel on the edge of the rock and look at the Nixe, "You need to find him! To find Loki! He is too important to die!" Eisa shouted, her voice trembling more than she wanted to.

The Nixe stared at her silently, her head tilting lightly from one side to another as if she were trying to understand what the Völva was saying.

" _The Norns refuse to let the Prince die yet. He has more to accomplish before his thread of life may be cut."_  She continued in her mesmerizing voice.

Eisa's heart missed a beat, looking in fear and disbelief at the voice, which sounded suddenly more threatening than the river itself.

"W-what…?" She breathed, swallowing hard before shaking her damp hair and frowning furiously at the magical creature, "I know that! Go get him! He's drowning and dying! Save him!" She yelled, her voice suddenly feral and dangerous.

The Nixe stared at Eisa for a long moment before finally moving. She lifted up her arm elegantly, water falling from it like a quiet waterfall as she indicated to the bottom of the river. Her electrifying blue eyes looked right into Eisa's green ones; the latter understood the silent message and got up suddenly, running as fast as she could towards the direction the Nixe had indicated.

Eisa ran until she had no more breath, until she couldn't feel her legs anymore. She lost count of the time she spent running, pushing away tree branches but finally,  _finally_ , she saw him.

"L-Loki!" She yelled, finding the voice she didn't know she still had.

Eisa ran forward and fell on her knees next to Loki's body. He was lying on the sandy ground between several pointy rocks. Her hands trembled as they approached him but she finally turned him around, holding her breath in fear until she realized he was still breathing. She stared at his face, covered in scratches and water drops. His left temple was deeply cut and bleeding terribly, probably after having hit some rock in the water.

"Oh, Loki…" She murmured, her voice filled with relief as she finally sighed.

Eisa took his arms and pulled him completely out of the water to hide between trees and rocks. She washed his injury and used her seiðr to heal him, dry his clothes and take away the pain in his body. She made a fire and then waited, looking at the sleeping Prince troubled expression.

Loki couldn't breathe, not because of the fall, or the water in his lungs, but because of the fear strangling his throat so tightly. He was in the same nightmarish place all over again. The Labyrinth was haunting him once again, as with every time he closed his eyes, be it from sleep or simply blinking his eyes. Every time he closed his eyes, even for the shortest time, darkness fell over him; his heart turned cold and heavy and the same voice kept coming back, resonating in his mind like a dark melody.

" _You will_ never _be enough, Loki…"_

He felt like he was falling towards this black hole all over again, his father's terrible words he couldn't understand stabbing his heart sharper than any blade could ever hope to.

" _No, Loki."_

He heard a crashing sound; maybe it was his heart, or his body, or maybe the Labyrinth had collapsed on top of him. For a moment, Loki thought the nightmare was over but then, another voice, darker, madder came back to his mind. All the while a shrieking wrathful sound kept hitting the back of his head – or maybe it was his own voice, screaming for release from pain and cold but never to be heard by anyone but himself.

" _You will be the cause of Asgard's fall!"_

"NO!"

"Loki!"

Loki looked around, breathing hard and barely able to see clearly in the dark night. Suddenly, he felt someone's hands reaching for him, trying to calm him down as he realized that it had been another nightmare. He took a deep breath and his eyes fell on Eisa's silhouette, the fire behind her making her look like she was made of flames. He blinked and for a moment, of the mad witch Eisa's laugh echoed. Loki opened his eyes wide once again and stared at the beautiful dark green eyes that were staring at him with worry, sadness and concern.

"Loki, are you all right?" She asked in a low voice, brushing him lightly as if she were scared to break him.

Loki looked at her and his heartbeat finally calmed down a little. Eisa was nothing like this vision created by the Labyrinth. She was sweet, tender and was looking at him as if he were the brightest person she had ever laid eyes upon…

He gave a short nod, sitting up a little more as she sighed in relief to see him awake and well. Loki sat up completely, ignoring the pain shooting through his sore body and looked around. He quickly understood that they were in the forest, but close to the river in which they had fallen. He didn't feel as terrible as he should, considering the horrible pain that had shot through his body when he had hit the water after the fall and the terrible sensation of drowning without being able to fight against the current.

Loki looked back at Eisa, who looked as lost as he was, but when she lifted up her eyes, a soft smile appeared on her face.

"I… am so glad you are all right… I was so scared when… when I thought you were  _gone_ …" She murmured, her hand cupping his cheek while her thumb brushed soothingly.

He stared at her, not quite understanding why his heart suddenly beat stronger. His own hand came up to hold her wrist, his face leaning into her palm without even realizing it. Their eyes met, the emotions mirroring each other: confusion, hope, warmth, peace.

Loki didn't understand what was going on between them, but he didn't want to let go of her hand. Not  _yet_. He wanted to keep holding onto her a little while longer. He lowered his confused green gaze towards the little space separating them.

"So many things happened, what should we do?" Eisa asked, sounding lost like she was lost about where to go next.

Their hands fell as she handled him the gourd of fresh water and the Prince thought about the situation.

In order to avenge Queen Knorda and because of fake rumours that Odin wanted to conquer Jotunheim, The Jotunn Council had sent a spy to Asgard, who caused mayhem and confusion with the Queen's maids then the attack against the Princes. This spy had followed Loki all the way to Jotunheim where they were now preparing for war. As the Prince had learned about all this, he had barely escaped, Eisa killing Björn on the way.

His gaze turned towards the burning fire before speaking:

"After the death of the Mountain Giants' Prince's, war is inevitable. It is more than likely that Asgard already knows. The troops are on their way to march upon Jotunheim." He declared with a hard voice.

Eisa swallowed, looking up at him hesitantly.

"What about Odin? If he really wants to conquer Jotunheim, then—"

"No." Loki interrupted with a cold voice.

"But, the Mountain Giants have proof that—"

"Odin doesn't want to conquer Jotunheim! I would know that! He would  _never_ , I know my father," Loki said, frowning.

"Do you?" She asked, her eyes staring at him intensely.

Loki's green eyes flickered for just a second. Did he know his father? He was manipulative, a fierce and powerful warrior, ready to do anything to win; but he was a great King and a wise man. He wouldn't go to war against Jotunheim just to  _conquer_.

"Odin has no interest in conquering Jotunheim. It would only make him lose the Nine Realms' respect. No, it was invented by Fornjótr – maybe he knew all along we were spying on him in that room and he lied to confuse us."

Eisa gave a little nod, as Loki looked up, expression fierce and determined.

"We have to find my father's troops and warn him: he won't go into battle solely against the Mountain Giants, but  _all_  of Jotunheim. If he doesn't know that and isn't prepared, the battle…"

Loki's voice trailed off. He couldn't recall a story or a battle in which his father had not come back victorious. Every time, Odin knew  _everything_  he needed to know about his enemy: the geography, the armies… Now, the Jotunns had played their game very well, making him think the Mountain Giants were the only enemy when all of the Jotunns were joining King Fornjótr. Odin was marching straight into a trap, and Loki was the only one able to warn him.

"Your mother was innocent." He finally said, not truly knowing why he would say such a thing.

For a moment, Eisa looked lost and confused, before her eyes filled with tears and she nodded with a sad smile.

"She was…" She whispered, remembering what Fornjótr had said about the spy who drove Queen Frigga's maids mad.

"I apologize for what happened to her, and your sister. As soon as this story is over, I'll free her myself from the dungeons." Loki said, bowing his head slightly to seal this promise.

Eisa wiped away the tears that were starting to roll down her cheeks and smiled at him; her smile was so relieved and happy that he couldn't help but give a little smile as well, a smile more true and beautiful than most of his smiles.

"Thank you…" She murmured, her eyes shining from the tears.

He didn't answer but her hand reached out for him, holding his sleeve as she cried in silence. Loki looked up at the stars, giving her the respect and privacy she deserved all the while staying by her side. She mourned for her mother, dead because of the Jotunns' evil plan, for her sister for whom she feared so much, knowing she was in Asgard's dungeons, for her freedom when she would return to Asgard…

"Let's sleep until morning, then we'll have to head back North in hope to come across Asgard's troops." Loki said quietly.

Eisa nodded, wiping away her tears. They both lay down on the ground. Loki didn't fall asleep, but watched the girl next to him doing so. He tried to, but every time he closed his eyes, fear took over his heart and he couldn't bring himself to fall into more nightmares. He turned on his back, watching the stars and hoping it would lull him to some sleep. One star brighter than the others finally came up and he had to wake up Eisa at the first rays of sunlight. They started walking into the forest, praying that Loki's knowledge of Jotunheim's geography wouldn't lead them the wrong way because they had no time to lose.

They walked North alongside the river until night fell. They were still in the forest. Because Loki's injuries were still hurting his body, Eisa climbed up to the top of a tree to look for some landmarks, but it was only a huge disappointment when they found out they had merely advanced towards the mountains.

"We should cross the river and head West," Loki concluded, after thinking about what the young woman had indicated to him.

"The forest ends towards the West, and after lowland, there are some mountains. But I didn't see Utgard, it must be further North," she answered.

"It might be one of the valleys to reach the Plain of Sigrún," he said, brows furrowed in thoughts.

"The Plain of Sigrún?" Eisa repeated, confused.

Loki stared right into her eyes, the hard tone of his voice sending shivers down her spine.

"The field for the battles to come," he answered.

She took in a shaky breath, trying not to tremble at the idea of a battle against Jotunns.

"The battlefield…" She repeated breathlessly, "I-is this real?" She asked, turning towards him with wide eyes.

Loki gave a bitter laugh, trying not to show his worry for the battles to come, knowing that his brother and father were probably already marching towards Utgard without the knowledge that  _all_  of Jotunheim wanted them dead.

"It  _is_  real, battles, wars… Nothing of it is an illusion, I'm afraid. I thought you wanted to become a fierce warrior?" He asked, his tone teasing to light up the mood as best as he could.

Eisa couldn't help but smile at him, remembering their first day together when she had shared with him her desire of becoming a warrior as proud and powerful as Lady Sif.

"I might be able to prove my worth much sooner than I ever expected…" She answered with a little smile.

Sitting on the ground, under some trees, they smiled at each other, knowing that the peaceful feeling between them would soon falter when they reached Sigrún. The stars couldn't be seen; their only light was the bright fire burning next to them. They could hear the slight breeze of wind in the trees, little night animals starting to wake up. Loki had known places like this forest that had turned into ash and desolation because of wars. He never cared for Jotunheim and couldn't care less about its forests, but he still felt sad to know that the place where Eisa and he were sitting, smiling and joking, might turn into a battlefield in a few days.

"I don't want the morning to come…" She suddenly said, breaking the silence between them.

Loki turned his face towards Eisa but didn't say a word. She was staring ahead of her, her eyes filled with worry and fear. When she turned her gaze towards him, he felt his heart clench tighter than he would care to admit: all of her emotions, her fright and concern, weren't for her own life, but  _his_.

"I don't want to know you're heading into a battle you might not come back from…" She breathed, her deep green eyes filling with tears.

Loki's heart missed a beat, his lips slightly parted in shock to hear such words. Had he ever heard anyone caring for him enough as to fear for his life? His mother loved him, but she knew his duty as a Prince and warrior was to fight for Asgard. No one had ever told him such words…

Eisa swallowed before moving, kneeling in front of him and leaning forward, her cheeks turning red while she spoke:

"Loki, promise me you'll survive this battle!" She exclaimed, taking his hands in hers tightly.

He stared at her in disbelief, not knowing what to think. His gaze lowered towards their entwined hands and the warmth she was giving him. He realized she was trembling, out of fear for  _him_.

He looked up once again, seeing how she cared enough for him to plead for his promise. They both knew he couldn't give such a promise, and even less be assured of Asgard's victory no matter how powerful its army was, but they needed this hope that there might be  _something_  waiting for them after this battle.

"Why…?" He asked in a low voice, not knowing how to feel or think after her words.

Eisa stared at him before giving a little laugh that was strangled in her throat by her emotions. She smiled sadly at him, her hands tightening around his.

"Why…? Because I  _need_  you…" She whispered as he stopped breathing in shock, "You… are so bright, so powerful and amazing, Loki… How… how could I not…?"

Her voice trailed off and her hand rose to cup his cheek. She opened her lips to say the words he expected her to say, but before she had found the bravery or words to do so, his hands cupped her cheeks and pulled her down to him. Their lips met and their kiss was breathless and passionate, her fingers tangling in his raven hair. They pulled apart, foreheads resting against each other's and stating into one another's eyes.

"I promise I will survive this battle…" He murmured.

"You're a liar, Loki…" She replied, eyes filling with tears.

He kissed her again, almost tenderly, warmth spreading in their bodies before he looked into her eyes once again.

"I may be a liar, but I  _always_  keep my promises…" He replied fiercely.

Eisa's lips trembled as she leaned forward, kissing him again with passion. Loki pulled her against him, kissing her cheek, jaw and then neck. She tilted her head to give him more space, her fingers tangling into his hair.

"Loki…" She whispered, her voice sounding breathless.

His lips brushed her skin almost delicately before her voice rose again, breaking the heavy rhythm of their panting breaths.

"Tomorrow, we might find your brother… Make this night worth everything we've been through,  _please_ …" Eisa breathed, her body trembling against his in desperation.

Loki froze, staring at the skin of her shoulder, lips parted in surprise above her skin. Just like a few days ago, he smelled this sweet flower scent, still unable to remember where this fragrance came from. Eisa lowered her bright green eyes towards him and he grabbed her head, crushing their lips together once again. He ravaged her lips and as he kissed, sucked and licked the skin on her neck, she grinned, eyes closing in delight. Their breath came short, groans of pleasure rising as the forest ground became their bed and the only witnesses to their night were the Norns, watching from above as the strings of fate were being pulled…

* * *

_I hope you enjoyed it! :P_

_NEXT CHAPTER : DARK MAGIC_

_Tell me what you think! ;)_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	17. Dark Magic

_Here is the new chapter, thanks for everyone who booked and kudoed this story! :D_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER XVII : Dark Magic

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. They go through the Crossway and facing his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories. They infiltrate the fortress of Utgard, they find out that the Giants want war more than ever and after killing the Mountain Giants' Prince and being cornered, jump off a cliff and are considered dead. Odin and Fornjótr both prepare themselves for the battle to come while Eisa and Loki are saved by Nixes, water spirits. The two make love during the night with the hoping promise that they would survive the battle against the Jotunns.]_

Loki's nightmare startled him awake, covered in sweat and his heart beating against his chest in fear. He looked around, completely lost until he felt a hand on his chest, the touch reassuring him more than he would admit. He looked down and saw Eisa, hair a mess, staring at him with worry.

"Are you all right, Loki?" She asked.

He swallowed, sitting up and running a hand through his messy black hair.

"I will be," he answered, clenching his fists tightly.

He stared at the forest ground, steadying his heart while Eisa sat up as well, leaning against his back. One of her hands covered his while the other brushed his shoulder, as comforting as she could. She kissed his shoulder before resting her head on it. Loki remained still but his heart felt more peaceful and he relaxed ever so slightly under her touch.

"I'm here for you, Loki…" She said.

Loki closed his eyes and heard the singing of the morning birds. He sighed in annoyance, wanting to remain with Eisa a little while longer but knowing that they still had a long way to go to reach Sigrún.

He turned slightly towards her, putting his hand against her thigh and lifting it up ever so slightly before the warmth of his seiðr illuminated his fingers.

"What are you doing?" She asked, blinking slightly.

"Taking away my seed to avoid pregnancy, of course…" He answered, rolling his eyes.

"I already took care of that while you were sleeping," she said.

Loki glanced up at her, raising an eyebrow and after checking that indeed, she didn't have any of his seed, he grabbed his clothes and hers.

"We need to move," he announced.

Eisa gave a short nod. They dressed and started to walk again, this time, heading back towards the river. They walked next to it until they found a possible passage across the river with less current that allowed them to jump from rock to rock until they reached other side. They walked into the forest once again, but the dim light from the cloudy sky slowly turned darker and darker. The trees were higher, a green so dark it looked black.

"Something is wrong…" Loki murmured.

He listened to the sounds of the forest but he couldn't hear a single bird or animal. Even the wind seemed different, colder and heavier.

He stopped as Eisa turned towards him curiously.

"What do you hear?" Loki asked her.

She looked around the dark trees, listening carefully before shaking her auburn head.

"Nothing?"

"Exactly…" He whispered, "We need to get out of this forest as soon as possible, it's not safe here."

"It's just a forest," she answered.

Loki didn't respond, only looked around to find the path they had been following up until now but he couldn't find it among the dead leaves scattered on the ground.

"Stay here, don't move," he ordered before grabbing the nearest tree branch.

Despite his injuries, Loki climbed up the tree until he could see the mountains far away. Just as Eisa had described, there was a huge meadow where they had the chance to find Thor and Asgard's army. He turned around towards where they had come from and swallowed. He could see the river and the green forest at the bank on the other side, but where he was, there were only dark trees. A cold breeze made him shiver and thunder resonated in the sky before lightning illuminated the dark clouds – somehow, they looked even darker above the dark forest than anywhere else in Jotunheim.

Loki looked up, lips pursued in worry. His brother's thunder was loud and his lightning was a bright blue. But the lightning that just ran across the sky was silvery white, cold and threatening with a thunder that seemed to be the trigger for a cold rain to start falling.

He heard Eisa's faint voice calling for him and he looked down before starting to climb down the tree, joining the young woman on the ground.

"What did you see?" She asked, frowning lightly.

"A dark forest, and a storm above us," he answered, looking around suspiciously.

For a moment Loki wondered if it was an illusion, like in the labyrinth. The last time he had dealt with such illusions, he had seen his worst nightmares come to life. He didn't want to live this again. Loki shook his head to throw away the dark thoughts and realized he hadn't heard what Eisa had just told him.

"What?" He asked, swallowing hard despite himself.

"I just asked you if we should keep heading West or—"

Her voice was interrupted by the thunder, much louder than before while the rain came down colder and heavier in big drops that soaked them in a minute.

"Or if we should try to find a shelter from this storm?" She asked a little louder to cover the sound of the rain.

The freezing wind moved the trees almost violently around them, sending dead leaves in all directions while the pair felt an icy sensation down their spines. The hollow sound of the wind against the trees sounded more like a terrified scream than anything they'd ever heard and something  _else_  could be heard with the twisting blasts. A whisper, just like the murmur of magic and seiðr, but it felt more ancient, darker and sombre than the seiðr Loki used.

"If we try to move, we might get lost in the forest, Loki!" Eisa exclaimed, trying to keep her hair from whipping her face, "We need a shelter from this storm! It's dangerous!" She shouted.

Loki pursed his lips. He didn't like the idea of staying in those woods for too long, but the storm was too powerful for them to continue. If they tried to advance further, they'd be lost; same if they tried to go back towards the river. As long as this storm was raging, they wouldn't be able to do anything.

He finally gave a little nod and grabbed Eisa's arm to guide her, lifting up his other arm to cover his face from flying leaves and the whip of the icy rain.

His intention was to find some cave or trees under which they could hide without fear of being hit by lightning. He could barely see a thing through the rain and wind, the dark leaves hitting him constantly. Advancing was hard; it was like pushing against the wind, the latter trying to make them fall on the ground and into the mud.

Suddenly, Loki heard something. Dead wood cracking behind him. He looked into the darkness but he couldn't see anything. The wind howled and more leaves flew around him, the rain blinding him.

Loki clenched his jaw and kept walking. He was trying desperately to see where he was walking in the middle of this wood of pure darkness until Eisa grabbed his arm.

"There!" She screamed.

Loki turned around, trying to see through the heavy rain but he didn't see a thing, except shadows. Eisa started to walk towards whatever thing she had seen and suddenly, a cold, white lightning illuminated the sky. For a short moment, it gave a hollow light to everything around. The black trunks and dark green leaves were muddy brown and icy grey and Loki saw a little barn made of wood. It seemed quite old and not much solid. Loki shivered, because he was wondering what a barn would be doing in the middle of the woods?

Eisa was walking towards it and Loki almost lost her in the darkness and the storm.

"Wait!" Loki exclaimed, catching her arm.

She turned around, her hair whipping her face, raindrops rolling down it.

"We shouldn't go in there!" He yelled, not liking the idea of going into some construction that had come out of nowhere – especially when the 'nowhere' was this cold forest breathing dark magic.

"Where else do you want us to go?!" She shouted in return.

He was about to open his lips when a howling sound resonated all around them. They froze, staring at the trees surrounding them while the wind wailed coldly around them. They were soaking wet and despite their hearts hammering in their chests, an icy feeling ran up their spines. The howl they had just heard was nothing like anything they've ever heard, and it  _definitely_  wasn't the wind.

"A wolf?" Eisa asked hesitantly, her voice lower but he heard her miraculously.

"I don't plan to find out," he answered hurriedly, pulling her towards the barn.

"I thought we shouldn't go there?" She asked, shaking her head while they struggled against the wind and the mud.

"I'd rather go there than meet whatever thing is waiting for us hidden in the trees!" He retorted.

Once they arrived at the little barn, Loki had to throw his shoulder against the door several times to open it. He almost fell in the room, the wind so violent it slammed the door open with a sudden burst. Eisa tumbled into the little space, rain and leaves rushing in behind her while Loki pushed the door closed. He struggled a little before finally breathing of relief that he was inside someplace  _somewhat_  safe. At least safer than outside, what with this furious storm and that wild creature.

Loki looked around, seeing nothing but old, damp straw. No traces of any living animal coming here recently.

"I don't like it…" He muttered under his breath, clenching his jaw.

"It's still better than being slapped by rain drops and dead leaves outside," Eisa replied, wringing her hair.

He snorted, glancing at the door that kept budging from the wind. Thor often created storms when his emotions ran rampant, but never  _this_  violent. There was magic behind this rain and wind, and a magic Loki didn't like. The same kind of magic there had been in the Crossway and Labyrinth: a dark magic that sent cold shivers through your entire body, filled you with fear until your limbs were unable to move and your blood ran cold. Somehow, he feared that unlike the creatures and visions he had met in the Crossway,  _this time_ , in this  _forest_ , everything was awfully, terrifyingly  _real_.

"Why are you so tense?"

Loki's head snapped towards Eisa who was at his side, her arms wrapped around his, watching him with an unreadable expression. He swallowed before sighing taking her hand in his.

"I'm just worried, that's all," he answered with pursed lips, brows furrowed slightly.

"It's normal to be worried, your father and brother might be risking their lives right now…" She said tenderly, her thumb brushing the skin on the back of his hand reassuringly.

"It's not just that, it's… this  _place_. This  _forest_ , I don't like it…" He said with a dark and hard voice.

As if to confirm his words, a hollow scream resonated all around them. They threw a wary glance around them, wanting to make sure nothing could possibly come in the barn. It could have been the wind, the animal outside or  _something_  else…

"It… can't be the spy that followed you from Asgard to the Misty Mountains, right?" She asked worriedly.

Loki threw her a strange look, recalling what they had heard from Fornjótr: the spy had caused his mission in the first place had followed him to the Misty Mountain, and then had lost his trail. The last time the spy had been heard of by the Jotunns was when he had gone back to Asgard to spy on the All-Father. Although, nothing proved that what the Jotunns had said during this meeting was the truth: they had known about Loki and Eisa's presence in the room after all. Maybe they had said that the spy was away from Jotunheim to trick them, maybe the spy  _had_  found their trail again and caught up.

It was unlikely, though – after all, they had entered a forest that breathed dark magic. If there was any danger, it was this forest and nothing else.

"I don't think so. Plus, Fornjótr doesn't care about the Asgardian spies sent after him anymore – they must think us dead. He would use his spy against Asgard directly."

"Which is another reason why you must find your family as soon as possible…" Eisa added with a low voice.

Loki's green eyes fell on her and he gave a short nod. She lowered her gaze, her fingers tightening slightly around the fabric of his still soaked clothes. He observed her a moment, trying to understand why she would look so…  _distraught_ …

"Eisa?" He asked, brows furrowed lightly.

She took a deep breath before looking up at him again, forcing a smile. Loki, however, wasn't fooled.

"I'm fine, I just… we should take off some clothes. We'll catch colds if we don't." She said, stepping away from him.

Loki observed her in silence as she turned around, taking off her soaked tunic. It fell on the dusty, straw-covered floor with a wet sound. She looked down at the cloth when it resonated with a clicking sound that had attracted Loki's attention too. Ignoring the fact that she was only wearing bandages around her breasts, he thought it must have been her dagger.

Eisa leaned down towards the wet piece of clothing, rummaging through it and taking out the hair stick made of gold and rubies he had offered her in Utgard. She smiled tenderly at the accessory and he couldn't help but smile as well, his heart just a little warmer and a little less scared upon seeing her soft expression.

"I haven't thanked you yet for this beautiful gift," she said, her green eyes lifting up to meet his.

"I didn't pay for it," he answered with a shrug and a mischievous smile, imagining the panic the Mountain Giant must have felt when he had realized he had been stolen.

"The intention is what matters…"

Eisa got up, advancing towards him slowly. Her bright emerald eyes stared into his watery green ones. Time seemed to stop as they stood in front of one another, only a few inches away from each other. They were so close their breaths mixed, driving them a little closer to madness.

"Is there any way I could thank you?" She whispered, hesitating just enough to show that her heart was beating faster in her chest.

Loki lifted up his fingers, brushing away a wet lock of auburn hair. His eyes looked at her entire face, stopping at her lips and the water drops still rolling down her skin. He looked back into her eyes, his tongue licking his lower lip.

"Entertain me," he said in a husky voice.

Eisa stopped breathing at his words but he pulled her against him, their lips crashing ferociously, their hearts suddenly bursting into flames and their bodies hot and wild. She didn't wait to kiss him back, her hands running through his raven hair, ruffling through the wet locks and giving him a wild and messy look. His teeth captured her lower lip while her head fell backwards, a delighted smile appearing.

The thunder roared as the Völva's nails scraped the skin of his shoulders and arms. Loki stopped breathing when her hands brushed his injured shoulder, making him step away. He growled in pain and glared at her, his annoyed gaze clashing with hers, which was apologetic despite the desire clouding her gaze.

Loki pushed her against a pile of straw. The young woman squealed at the sudden move while he stood above her and took off his armour and green tunic. She swallowed, her breath coming short as he leaned down on her, taking off the rest of their clothes quickly. He kissed her neck, biting and licking her while Eisa held onto his black hair almost desperately.

"You have a dangerous face, and an illegal taste, Loki…" She breathed, her hands cupping his cheeks to look into his eyes.

Loki gave a mischievous grin that made her heart miss a beat, his eyes shining in the low light of the barn while the storm was still raging outside. He kissed her, his teeth sucking on her lower lip as her head fell back and he went down on her body, his hands caressing her naked skin with the touch of a wild panther.

"I'll show you why I'm called Silvertongue…" He growled against her breasts, her smile only widening at the thought of the night waiting for them.

The thunder roared louder, the weather of the dark forest only increasing the feelings of black magic seeping in every particle of those woods. The forest was so dark that even after the rain had ceased and the morning had come, the difference couldn't be seen. The high trees were still casting a gloom over the sad dead leaves, the clouds still heavy with thunder and storms. No animal could be heard, no breathing; only a light and cold breeze was moving the wet leaves and branches.

Loki woke up in the pile of straw, straight ahead, his heart beating coldly in his chest after another nightmare. He swallowed, before realizing dreadfully that the barn was silent. Too silent: the only thing he could hear was his heart hammering in his chest. He turned around but as expected, Eisa wasn't here. He looked around, feeling slightly panicked when suddenly, the door opened and she came in.

"Loki!" She exclaimed, seeing him awake.

He wanted to appear severe and tense but failed, his muscles relaxing ever so slightly at seeing her safe and sound.

"Eisa,  _where_  were you?" He hissed, looking furious.

She seemed a little hesitant, not expecting him to be in such a terrible mood so early. She closed the door, giving a slight shrug before advancing towards him, falling onto the straw at his side. She was lying on her side, her weight on her right arm and looked up at him. He remained still, staring down at her in a nonchalant way, still slightly annoyed that she would wander off without warning him.

"The clothes are still a little wet, but it's bearable. The storm is over for now, but I think it'll rain again soon. Also, I tried to find something to eat, like chestnuts or something, but I couldn't find anything."

He threw her a disbelieving look, lips parted in shock and irritation.

"You went  _outside?_  In this  _forest?!_ "

"No, I went to Asgard's Sunday Market." She answered with a straight face.

He gave her a hard look and she rolled her eyes, throwing her hands in the air.

" _Of course_  I went out in the forest! Where else could I  _possibly_  go?" She exclaimed, shaking her head slightly.

"This place is  _dangerous!_  I can't believe you were reckless enough to go  _outside_ ,  _alone_ , for some  _chestnuts!_  What did you even expect to  _find_  anyway? The only chestnuts you could possibly find are those that even Ratatoskr wouldn't want!" Loki exclaimed, grabbing his tunic and throwing it over his head, "It was foolish and stupid! Even  _Thor_  wouldn't make such an idiotic mistake!"

"I was hungry!" She replied loudly, sitting up next to him.

"Then you should have—"

" _And_  I didn't want to wake you up!" She cut in, throwing him a hard look.

He looked back at her, lips tight with a mix of feelings he couldn't quite understand: disbelief, annoyance, worry… Eisa swallowed and looked back at her hands for a moment, guilt washing over her when she realized that she had worried him. She then glanced back up, stumbling on her words.

"Y-you have so little sleep… You needed it…" She murmured nervously.

Loki sighed lightly, staring at her before his hands reached for hers. She stopped her anxious moves immediately and looked at him again.

"Thank you for that, but you should have woken me up. I don't like this place and I don't like knowing you alone in those woods…" He said in a soft voice, which was unfamiliar to her, "Don't wander off like that again." He ordered, his tone still caring but a little harder.

"Promise…" Eisa answered with a little smile.

Her hand reached up and she ruffled through his still messy black hair, pulling away some straw. She kept it between her thumb and forefinger, twirling it around and staring at the Prince mischievously. He stared at the straw and her smile for a moment before chuckling as well.

"Let's try to get out of this dark forest before the storm starts again…" He said, reaching for his boots.

"Your orders are mine to follow, Your Highness," she answered with a slight shrug, getting up in the same time as him.

Eisa was about to wait for Loki to finish putting his clothes on at the door when he reached in his pockets, smirking to himself.

"Eisa," he called.

She turned around right when he threw a little packet filled with chestnuts at her. She smiled at him before laughing joyfully.

"I'll wait for you at the door. Hurry up before I eat all of these!" She exclaimed, opening the door and waiting just in front of it.

Loki chuckled to himself, watching her silhouette leaning against the doorframe from the corner of his eye. Once he was done putting on his protection and his jacket, he took a step towards the door when his gaze was attracted to something shining on the ground in the straw. He turned around, bending down and ignoring the rustling sound of leaves outside – probably from the wind. He pushed away some straw and pouted slightly upon seeing the golden hair stick.

"What an idiotic girl…" He murmured to himself, smiling lightly.

Loki picked the accessory up and got up, turning around to exit the barn. He stepped outside and looked around, but didn't see Eisa anywhere.

"Eisa?" He called, clicking his tongue in irritation that she had wandered off  _again_ , "Eisa, you forgot your hair stick in the barn," he said, looking around.

He heard the wind shaking the leaves and froze, his entire body tensing as his heart started beating nervously.

"Eisa…?" He called again, walking forward hesitantly.

He walked all around the barn, looking in every direction, his breathing coming short and fearful.

"Eisa!" He called frantically, staring at the endless woods with wide eyes.

He froze again when he saw the packet of chestnuts at his feet, half of them on the ground. His face paled and he looked back up again, taking in a shaky breath and trying to ignore the panicked beating of his heart and the trembling of his hands.

"Eisa!" He shouted, hoping he would hear something,  _anything_.

The only answer he received was the heavy silence of the dark forest, interrupted by the wind shaking the leaves and birds croaking and flying away.

* * *

_In this chapter, I mention Ratatoskr who is, in Norse mythology, a squirrel who runs from the bottom to the top of Yggdrasil, spreading rumours and stories._

_NEXT CHAPTER : BEWARE OF IRON WOOD..._

_It might come, not next week, but next week-end._

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	18. Beware of the Iron Woods...

_Here is the chapter! :D_

_Thank you to all who kudoed and booked! :)_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER XVIII : Beware of the Iron Wood…

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. After going through the Crossway and facing his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories. After infiltrating the fortress of Utgard, they find out that the Giants want war more than ever and after killing the Mountain Giants' Prince, they barely escape. Odin and Fornjótr both prepare themselves for the battle to come. The two advance to join the Asgardians, but find themselves in a dark forest until Eisa, away from Loki's view for just a short moment, disappears.]_

Loki ignored the pain shooting through his left shoulder as he climbed up a tree. The trunk felt icy cold and humid from the storm, and the leaves that were still on the branches looked dead. He breathed heavily, struggling to climb up fast despite his entire body aching. After days of struggle, pain and various aches, he was starting to really feel the consequences of this mission. He was exhausted, mentally, physically and his body – even a strong and healthy Asgardian body – was starting to be unable to keep up. He gritted his teeth as he continued his climbing. The tree was about thirty meters high and he finally reached the top.

The wind was howling and cold, shaking his hair while he looked around. He could see the river behind him, the mountains in front of him and between the rocky mounts and the forest, vast plains. Loki turned around, trying to find anything that shouldn't be there and finally, something caught his eye. He squinted and stopped breathing. Further in the woods, he could see a trail of dark smoke rising in the sky.

Life. Someone.

Loki immediately moved to climb down, but his gaze remained on the plains, knowing that if he walked that way, he would meet the Asgardian troops within two or three days. He clenched his jaw, his hand diving into his pocket and pulling out Eisa's hair stick.

After a long moment of indecision, Loki finally sighed and put the hair stick back into his pocket. He climbed down the tree as carefully as he could and walked towards the direction of the smoke.

Loki walked for a long moment, forcing his thoughts to remain calm and his instinct attentive to his surroundings – he was more suspicious of this forest than ever. He still felt this terrible atmosphere of dark magic wrapping around his limbs and swirling in the air he breathed. He had the feeling someone was watching him, but there was nothing but the trees around him.

After several hours of complete silence except for his steps and haunting thoughts, Loki couldn't help but start glancing suspiciously at the trees.

 _Don't be an imbecile. Those are just trees_ … He told himself, shaking his head to keep it clear.

Suddenly, Loki froze. He held his breath, jumping behind a tree. Once he was safely behind the tree, Loki took a deep breath before turning just enough to glance at the house standing there. The walls were a dark grey, the roof even darker. There were wooden stairs leading to the entrance but the wood seemed wet and rotten. The windows were covered in dust and the roof was partially hidden from the leaves that had fallen on it. It looked like the small house was abandoned and about to fall to dust. Loki would have ignored it if it weren't for the smoke coming from the chimney.

 _Who the bloody hell can possibly live here…?_  He thought to himself, brows furrowed in apprehension.

Loki took a deep breath, taking his daggers and throwing knives in his hands. Whoever it might be, it was the person who had kidnapped Eisa and he was planning on getting his Völva back. He quietly and quickly analysed the situation: a creepy house in the middle of a dark magical forest where Eisa was probably being held prisoner – the person this miserable building belonged to was most likely some sort of seiðr user. With his injuries and exhausted body, Loki wasn't sure he could take anyone on a fight – especially not when he didn't know who this person was and what powers or strengths they possessed.

He would get closer and examine the house and its possible protection spells before—

Loki's thoughts were interrupted by a deep growl from behind him. He turned around slowly, his blood running cold for a moment upon seeing a wolf. A  _big_  one. The animal reached Loki's chest and his features were huge – otherwise, he looked like any other wolf: grey fur, shining and cold blue eyes, long and sharp teeth bared threateningly.

Loki hesitated only a moment, his body relaxing as he bent down in case the animal jumped at him. The Prince grinned and couldn't help but chuckle lightly at the thought of a giant wolf. It was new but not unexpected – everything had been surprising, and not necessarily in the best sense of the term, during this mission. His long fingers curled around his knives, ready for a fight against the beast if necessary.

The wolf growled more threateningly and tried a slight jump towards the prince who reacted instantly. He jumped and scrambled away from the tree against his back, as it would only block him. Loki turned around to run but he stopped, almost falling over upon seeing several other wolves surrounding him in a circle, as well as many beyond that. There were at least a dozen of the giant animals, all showing their teeth and growling.

Loki's vivid green eyes stared at them carefully, ready to react at the slightest movement of muscle. The tension was turning him mad. Thankfully, one of the wolves jumped towards him once again and Loki reacted, throwing one of his knives towards it. The knife reached the animal, hitting it in the shoulder. The wolf growled and jumped away, roaring in rage and pain. Loki realized too late that the wolves had only been cornering and scaring him. After one of them was hurt, however, they immediately attacked.

The first wolf he had met jumped high above Loki, who bent down and throwing another knife at the animal, hitting it in the chest. The animal squealed in pain and fell, , but he wasn't dead – just injured like the first one. Loki would need more than just one little knife to strike down the beasts but he couldn't think about it any longer, another had attacked him.

The young man turned around, using his dagger to hit the animal's face; it growled and moved backwards, blood stinging its fur. The wolf lifted his paw, which was bigger than Loki's head. Loki bent down to avoid the animal, but another wolf had jumped towards him. Loki jumped backwards, the animal sliding on the leaves rather than him. Loki lifted up his weapons but the wolf with the injured cheek had jumped towards him, his paws hitting Loki's chest. The god fell backwards under the strength of the powerful animal.

Loki lifted up his dagger; it hit one of the animals' paws but now, he couldn't distinguish them all in the midst of those other huge grey furred beasts that kept growling and howling at him. The ones that weren't fighting were growling as much, if not more than the ones attacking him. Loki's eyes kept glancing from side to side, trying to take in all the animals but he couldn't. They were too big and numerous. He heard a deep threatening growl right when he looked up. He reacted as fast as possible and lifted up his right arm to protect his face from the fangs. His vambrace stopped most of the blow, , but some of the fangs still penetrated deeply into his wrist and inner elbow. Loki yelled in pain, his head jerking backwards as pain made his vision blur.

He didn't have to look to know that another wolf would probably rip his throat at this moment. Suddenly, he heard a sharp whistle. Loki took a deep, shaky breath as all at once the wolves stepped away. Loki growled in pain, holding his arm and rolling on his side. He tried to lift himself up, but his arm hurt too much. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore; the only sensation he had was the burning pain and the abundant flow of blood escaping the bite wound. He closed his eyes a moment, his vision unclear as he tried to breathe, his body shaking from suffering.

Loki heard the leaves cracking under footsteps before seeing anyone or anything, , but as he opened his eyes he saw feet advancing towards him slowly.

"Prince Loki…" A dark hissing voice started, "Have you not be warned…?"

The prince slowly looked up, taking in the Mountain Giant who was looking down at him. She had a long dress all in shades of grey and black. It looked torn apart, giving it a fuzzy appearance. Her hair was long and black, tangled and messy. Her skin was dark as well, but not the bright and warm chocolate skin of Heimdall – this Giantess' skin was dark grey, like an old parchment coming apart. She looked like  _death_. Her lips and eyes were as black as her hair. Loki felt a cold shiver running down his spine looking into her eyes, as deep and frightening as a black hole…

She kneeled down next to the quivering and injured prince, looking at him with a pitying and heartless gaze.

" _Beware of the Iron Wood_ …" She whispered with a cold voice.

Loki stopped breathing, partly in fear, partly in pain and partly because the weight of her words had just hit him.

 _The_ _Iron Woods_ …

He knew the stories of those deep and dark woods in Jotunheim, haunted by a witch who made every soul entering her woods disappear…

Loki clenched his jaw, cursing his own foolishness. He hadn't felt anything  _right_  within these woods from the beginning; they should have gotten out as soon as possible. They shouldn't have stayed an entire night here, no matter how powerful the storm had been.

As if reading his thoughts, the sorceress looked straight into his eyes. The dark abyss that were her own didn't seem to see him, however, it looked right into his soul, the dark and twisted part of it. She could see and was ready to break everything that was within him and he could  _feel_  it…

"Did my storm impress you, young prince?" She asked slowly, "It was a good…  _opportunity_  for you and your lady, wasn't it?" She said, her voice icy on the word 'opportunity'.

"You can't create such a powerful storm with magic!" Loki hissed, teeth clacking from pain.

She looked amused for a moment, her lips moving just enough to send chills down his spine.

"What of your…  _brother_  then?"

Her lips opened just enough to show her dark and damaged teeth, he was expecting a laugh to escape her mouth but instead, he heard a low hissing sound similar to the one of a snake.

"My brother is a  _god!_  The God of Thunder! Not a mere sorcerer hidden in a forest!" He exclaimed, his eyes throwing daggers at the witch, who didn't even blink.

Suddenly, her hand shot towards Loki's face. He gave a low hiss of fear and revulsion when her long black nails grabbed his jaw like claws, forcing his face up just enough for the two abysses that were her eyes to dive coldly into his watery green ones.

"Let it be clear, petty prince," she started in a low hissing voice sounding much like a snake, "You may be a seiðr user, but you have not mastered it yet. You don't know all of its secrets, its darkest ways and  _that_ , little prince, will be your downfall."

She let go of his face so suddenly that Loki fell forward, his arm hurting once again. He tried to get up, but her sudden movement had frozen him. He looked up warily as she straightened up.

"My children will take you inside, to join your lovely companion," she said, turning on her heel and walking towards the broken house.

At first, Loki was confused about her 'children' but then the wolves inched closer to him and he realized with dread that  _they_  were the 'children'. When one of them barked at him, trying to bite his shoulder, Loki jumped away, getting up as fast as possible despite his numb arm and aching body. He looked at the animals that approached him, teeth bared, a growl sounding much like a dark chuckle escaping their throats.

Loki looked over his shoulder, at the house where the witch had disappeared. Eisa was in there. He swallowed hard, slowly backing away from the wolves that made sure to make him feel threatened enough not try to escape as they drove him at the house.

Once inside, the first thing he smelled was the wrenched scent of rotting flesh, ashes, spices and many things he didn't want to know about. The place was as dark as he had imagined it to be, the little hall even darker than the room he entered. It had a wooden table covered in dead animals and in front, there was a big fireplace with something boiling in a cauldron. Considering the smell that emanated from it, Loki didn't want to even think about the ingredients that cursed witch had used. There were many herbs and dried animals hanging from the ceiling and the opposite wall covered in abundant Virginia creeper. Everywhere, there were bottles and flacons of all sizes and kinds containing many types of ingredients – from moving eyes to herbs, or scales, colourful (and quit disgusting) liquids or even insects (dead or alive).

Loki's eyes narrowed on a set of big sharp knives, his uninjured hand immediately trying to reach for one.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Loki turned sharply towards the dark figure of the witch who was at the other side of the room, back turned to him.

"Who are you?" He asked coldly.

She turned to him, giving him a little, amused smile he couldn't understand.

"Where are my manners? Please, Your Highness, be my guest and have a seat?" She said with a sweet voice, gesturing to the ground in the back of the room.

Loki snorted, , but then, he saw Eisa's silhouette lying on the ground.

"Eisa!" He breathed, jumping towards her and turning her over.

Eisa moaned when he moved her, but it only proved she was still alive. Her head was injured but other than that, she seemed fine. Loki turned back towards the witch, who was taking pleasure in ignoring him as much as possible, cutting some dried frog before pulling at some herbs, which she mixed in a mortar.

"What did you do to her?!" He hissed furiously, glaring at the dark creature.

"Nothing harmful, really. She's still in good shape for her…  _duty_."

The witch smiled to herself as if proud and pleased by her choice of words. Loki's brows furrowed and he got up suddenly, trying to look more impressive despite his injuries and pale face.

"Who are you?!" He shouted.

The pestle ceased its movement and for a moment, there was complete silence. Then the Witch looked up at him and blinked, her black orbs colder than the ices of Niflheim. She remained still for such a long time that Loki started to feel uncomfortable, not understanding her lack of reaction. Loki pursed his lips, grabbed the first bottle he could find and threw it across the room. It exploded against the wall, the glass flying everywhere while a red and gummy thing started to drip very slowly down the wall.

"ANSWER ME!" He yelled, his voice trembling in rage and impatience.

The Witch looked at the remains of the bottle, and then let go of the pestle, putting it delicately next to the mortar. Loki was about to shout again when she lifted her hand with a sharp gesture, as if grabbing something tightly. Immediately, the prince felt his throat being locked by a deadly invisible grip. He was lifted up off the ground and he kicked the air, trying to grasp whatever hand was holding him up. He couldn't breathe or see clearly; the only thing he could see was the deadly cold gaze of the witch as she strangled him from a distance, not even taking the care to touching him directly. Loki started to gasp for air after several minutes of struggle against the witch's magic; his own seemed to have disappeared.

Suddenly, she let go of him and he dropped to the ground. She wasn't done yet, however, because while Loki coughed and tried desperately to catch his breath, she made a slapping gesture. He was pushed away against the wall violently, his head hitting it while his arms were pinned by Virginia creeper. He tried to get free, but ceased any fight when he realized he couldn't breathe correctly, his chest heaving up and down heavily. While Loki was slowly trying to find his breath, he glared at the witch who took her pestle once again, quietly crushing her ingredients.

"I don't like shouting." She said.

Loki clenched his jaw and fists, his entire body shaking in rage and pain while she continued:

"If you've heard of the Iron Woods, I am surprised you don't know of my name?"

"No one cares about a damn witch hiding in the Iron Woods!" He hissed, trying once again to free himself from the creeper.

The Witch looked up at him, interrupting her work for a short moment.

"Indeed. Not that I would let anyone escape my woods to spread my name. It would give me a bad reputation."

Loki was considering spitting at her, but thought it would be useless so he looked around, shifting uncomfortably against the Virginia creeper tickling his skin. His eyes fell on Eisa and realized creeper wrapped her as well. She was slowly coming back to herself but she still was barely conscious.

Loki looked again at the witch, trying to remember anything he knew about the Iron Woods – but there was nothing said about those woods except that no one ever came back from them. With such a creature as its guardian, he could understand why.

"And what happens to those who… don't escape your woods?" He asked, his voice hard.

The Witch took a dead bird from her table and started to slowly pull the feathers away from it. Loki was wondering if she had heard (he was avoiding shouting now) when she finally answered, looking back up at him:

"Oh. I kill most of them." She answered. Her knife cut echoed sharply.

Loki swallowed hard, while Eisa moaned and started to straighten up a little. He glanced at her just for a moment while the witch started talking again:

"Sometimes, I eat them, sometimes I feed them to my sweet children, sometimes I make them useful and decorative."

She looked at Loki's confused face at her last words and her little smile appeared once again, her eyes looking at something above Loki's head. He frowned and looked up, seeing a skull mixed in the Virginia creeper. He jumped away, trying to get free when he finally saw all of the bones and skeletons being held by the creeper.

"Ah, and sometimes I send them away. My Mistress loves having guests – especially when they're important like you. Perhaps you will go there. It depends, really…" She murmured, cutting her bird in little squares.

"Your… Mistress…?" He hesitated, trying to calm his racing heart and ignore the skeletons that seemed way too obvious now that he had spotted them.

"Yes, surely even  _you've_  heard of her."

"Who is that?" He asked while Eisa was finally sitting up.

The brown-haired woman seemed a little confused and groggy but as soon as she was awake and sitting, she glared ferociously at the witch.

"My Mistress… She has many names. One of her name is Gullveig."

Loki's heart missed a beat while Eisa froze next to him.

"It's impossible! Gullveig is dead!" He exclaimed, remembering the stories he heard from his father of long, long ago.

"Gullveig is dead – but she is not gone. She died, many times. And many times she came back. Now, she is different, she is Heiðr."

"It's just a  _legend!_  A story! Gullveig is dead and Heiðr never existed!" Loki screamed, pulling at the creeper while the witch looked at him, her head to one side.

"Who told you this?"

"My Father,  _Odin_  All Father!" He exclaimed.

"Was he not the one who threw his spear at his host, Gullveig? Was it not in his hall that her death occurred  _three_   _times?_ Did it not trigger the war between Aesir and Vanir? Would the All Father really want his people to recall the fact that he led them into the bloodiest of battles and wars?"

Loki fell silent, clenching his jaw. His eyes were wide in anger that she would accuse his father of such things –  _but she was right._

"You are knowledgeable, young prince, but you are still young and do not know the truth of the past – can you be sure that what your father told you is the exact truth? Or did he change facts to make it appear more glorious? More important? More necessary? More  _worthy?"_

Loki remained silent and still, sensing Eisa's intense gaze on him. She didn't say a thing, only listened to what was said, her green eyes burning Loki's neck as she kept on staring at him.

"If he hid some truth about the origins of this war, why would he not hide some truth about one of the enemies he could possibly face? One of the mightiest and most powerful Völva the Nine Worlds has ever known? The All Father attacks when he is threatened, then he  _takes_  what is necessary for peace, claiming it to be his own doing all along."

The witch stopped talking, observing Loki's expression closely. She then smiled that dark, unexplainable smile and turned back towards her bird, cutting it into tiny pieces. The sound of the blade against the wood resonated with Loki's hollow heartbeat.

"Heiðr wants her revenge for her three lives that have been taken away by the All Father. She is patient, she will have it."

After a long moment of silence, Loki opened his mouth, despite its trembling and talked, mastering his voice so well it surprised him:

"And who are you in this story? What gain could you possibly have in serving this woman?" Loki asked. He felt Eisa coming just a little closer to him, looking as scared as he was no matter how much he was trying to hide his true emotions.

"Me?" She asked, tilting her head on a side.

The witch dropped her knife and slowly walked towards them, kneeling and observing them closely in silence. Eisa shifted nervously, trying to get closer to Loki – without success, the Virginia creeper around her was too tight. The prince, on the other hand, stared coldly at the witch, trying to show that he wasn't scared.

"My time will come, Loki, dear, dear Loki…" She murmured before laughing.

The sound was dark and icy, like nails scratching a blackboard combined with the hissing of a snake. The witch looked back at the prince and leaned forward, her long black nails brushing his cheeks. Loki jerked backwards, trying to look defiant and proud, but she didn't seem impressed, grabbing his jaw between her claws.

"Little prince, you will remember one day, the day you entered Iron Woods and I told you this, because then you will  _fear_."

"I'm not scared of you." He hissed.

"Aren't you?" She asked with her mad smile, "but it's not me you should fear… No, no, my little Loki, you will know in due time. That is… if you can survive all the struggles that await you…"

"Get your hands off of him! You can't touch him!" Eisa yelled, trying to surge forward and kick the witch without success.

The dark witch turned her head towards Eisa, smiling coldly. The young woman swallowed hard, glaring at her viciously.

"Jealous?"

Eisa's eyes only turned colder, rage pulsing through her entire body. The witch ignored her, turning towards Loki once more:

"Dear Loki, you are so precious, so, so precious…" She murmured, getting up and turning around, her dress flying like a deathly trap around her.

"What do you want from me?" He asked in a hiss.

She looked down at him, talking slowly.

"To remember. To remember  _me_."

She then smirked, opening her palms and jerking her head backwards:

"My name is Hyrokkin! I am the Witch of Iron Woods!" She exclaimed loudly, "And I want you to remember me and spread the tales of the most frightening woods you've been into and the most dangerous witch you crossed!"

Loki stared at her, trying to pull at his creeper, but he froze when she looked down at him. Some wind stirred her hair and dresses around her, some dark mist – or smoke, rising all around her and in the room.

"That is, my dear Loki,  _if_  you can escape my woods… Let the hunt begin!" She shouted, throwing her arms in the air violently.

Thunder roared and lightning blinded Loki and Eisa, while the powerful wind shook them. They stopped breathing for a moment and when they opened their eyes again, a cold rain was falling around them and they were free. They looked around, getting up and seeing nothing, but the woods. The cold and dark trees that seemed so threateningly alive…

They thought they had dreamed it all, but when Loki stared at a thunderstruck Eisa, her head was still covered in blood and his arm was still burning from the pain.

"W-what happened…?" She asked hesitantly, looking around nervously.

Before he could answer, a wolf's howl resonated all around them, impossible to locate. They looked around, trying to find the origin of the sound, but they couldn't see any animal. It sounded awfully  _close_  and dreadfully  _dangerous_.

Suddenly, they heard Hyrokkin's cold voice, resonating all around them, everywhere and nowhere in the same time. She gave her hissing laugh before whispering into the dark trees.

" _Beware of the Iron Woods_ …"

* * *

_I freaked out writing and re-reading this chapter. It's one of the crepiest thing I've EVER written, and a really messed-up character for Hyrokkin. But I'm proud of the result! :D_

_I hope you liked it. From now on, chapters will be posted every Saturday :)_

_NEXT CHAPTER : THE PRICE TO PAY_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	19. The Price to Pay

_Here's the chapter! ;)_

_Thanks to the ones who kudoed and booked this story! ;)_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER XIX : The Price to Pay

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. After going through the Crossway and facing his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories they infiltrate the fortress of Utgard, they find out that the Giants want war more than ever and after killing the Mountain Giants' Prince, they escape. Odin and Fornjótr both prepare themselves for the battle to come. The two advance to join the Asgardians but find themselves into the Iron Woods, prisoner from the witch Hyrokkin.]_

Loki and Eisa had been running for a long time now, but they were unable to tell how long exactly.

"S-stop…!" Eisa gasped before stopping and leaning against a tree.

Loki turned his head sharply towards her, retracing in his steps and grabbing her arm fiercely.

"We need to move!" He hissed, despite behind out of breath as well.

He pulled at her but she moved away, pulling her arm out of his grip.

"N-no! I-I c-can't run until I-I can breathe again…!" She exclaimed, leaning against the cold tree.

Loki stared at her, terribly annoyed. He looked around them suspiciously, still having this creepy feeling of being watched by the trees. He clicked his tongue anxiously, playing nervously with his daggers in his hand.

"Do you know anything about this witch?" He asked, sounding urgent.

her, retracing looked up at him, her cheeks red from running and her face covered in sweat. She stared at him a moment before sighing.

"No. I had never heard her name before today. I didn't even know of these ' _Iron Woods'_ …" She murmured, looking at the ground.

"I don't like this place. We have to get out of here."

"Really? I thought we could have stayed here, made a little barbecue and rest, watching the stars in the sky at night." She mocked.

Loki clenched his jaw, his gaze murderous. Eisa looked around, looking more worried than she wanted to.

"But can we? Can we at least get out of these woods? If it belongs to Hyrokkin then—"

"We will." He cut sharply.

She pursed her lips; the two stared at each other, a tension creating electricity between them.

"We  _have_  to get out of here." Loki said, not wishing to spend any more time resting.

Suddenly, he flinched and moaned, dropping his dagger on the ground and glaring furiously at his shaking hand. Eisa's eyes followed his gaze and her eyes widened, lips parted in shock.

"Y-you're hurt!" She exclaimed, surging towards him, "What happened?!"

"Tch. Hyrokkin's ' _children'_ , the  _wolves_." He growled, closing and opening his fist as more blood flowed from his wound at the wrist.

"That cursed witch…!" She hissed, frowning, a cold light in her green eyes.

Almost immediately, her hand was lighted by the green of her seiðr, which Eisa used to heal Loki's hand and arm. He observed her in silence, feeling his wound closing and the pain lessening. He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when the pain started to disappear – it wasn't completely gone, but it was better than he could hope for.

"We should start moving," he said once she was done, turning his heels around.

"You could at least thank me." She replied, walking behind him.

Loki froze and turned around almost sharply, his movement so sudden that Eisa almost bumped into him. She looked up into his eyes, emerald green against water green. They stared at each other for a long moment until he sighed and lowered his gaze just slightly.

"Thank you. For healing me." He said in a low voice.

"We're going to get out of these woods, right…?" She asked in a whisper, her voice shaking, her eyes filled with the terror she was trying to hold back.

Loki stared at Eisa for a long moment. A part of him wanted to promise her he would save them both, but his heart was tight with fear. No one had ever escaped the Iron Woods and he didn't want to find out whether or not Heiðr  _was_  real. He was a Prince of Asgard, a powerful warrior and a seiðr user – one of the most powerful. He would get out of these woods.

"I promise you we'll get out of these Iron Woods," he said almost softly.

"Safe and sound?" Eisa inquired, her lower lip trembling.

Loki opened his lips to answer but suddenly, they heard a wolf howling and after looking around them fearfully, Loki grabbed her upper arm and pulled her, starting to move once again. He sensed her eyes on him, still waiting for his answer, but he didn't want to give false promises so he pretended not to care and stared ahead of him, his heart beating hollowly in his chest. He dropped her arm and she stopped waiting for an answer.

After long minutes where the only sound that could be heard was the wind in the dead leaves, Eisa spoke up again:

"Did we not walk by here already?" She asked, slowing down to stare at the trees.

Loki looked around as well before clenching his jaw, lips tightening.

"All those trees look the same. There is no way to know. Perhaps we're still in that damn witch's house and we're just walking in circle. She probably expects us to exhaust ourselves before dropping the illusion."

Eisa looked uncomfortable for a moment before drawing closer to him.

"Isn't it… isn't it how wolves hunt?" She asked in a low voice, "Hurting their prey before letting them fall of exhaustion…? She called it… she said it was a  _Hunt_ …" She murmured.

Loki stared at her before looking around him, unsure of what he should believe. Maybe everything he was seeing was an illusion; since the Crossway and the Labyrinth, he wasn't sure of anything anymore.

He clenched his fists, all his nerves trembling with rage. He hated feeling so weak, being so powerless, at the mercy of this witch and her wolves. The last time he was used and played with like this, his deepest wounds and fears had been opened. He had been bleeding ever since, those nightmares and feelings hunting him in every moment of his life. He was done being played with.

"I won't be hunted by  _anything_  or  _anyone_ …" Loki started with a cold voice, his blood boiling in fury. "It's time to make the tables turn."

Eisa stared at him, bewildered, feeling suddenly impressed and almost  _scared_  by his dark silhouette.

"Loki?" She called hesitantly, attempting a step forward.

He either didn't hear her or ignored her and she froze when she saw green seiðr surrounding him.

He closed his eyes. He could sense his fingertips burning with magic, but he didn't release it yet. If everything around him was some sort of illusion to turn them mad with fear while being chased by Hyrokkin and her wolves, then he just had to bring down the illusion. The last time he had faced one, it was the fiery Eisa in the labyrinth and he had torn it apart with his rage. This time, he would break every last bit of Hyrokkin's hallucination into pieces.

"Magic is all about a whisper…" He murmured to himself, feeling the air around him turning electric.

Eisa took a step backwards when she saw swirls of green magic surrounding him. A wind rose suddenly, shaking their hair and clothes.

"Loki? What are you doing?" She asked, now fearing what he could be doing.

Once again, he didn't seem to hear her, her voice lost in the wind. Eisa looked around anxiously, but she couldn't see anything from Hyrokkin.

"Loki!" She exclaimed, trying to bring him back, but he was lost in his rage and emotions.

Loki's hands were now swirling with magic, green seiðr illuminating his face. He opened his eyes, an evil glint shining in the greenish orbs as his lips moved slowly, whispering his magical energy into the wind.

" _Destroy it all_ …" He breathed before grinning wickedly.

Eisa's eyes widened and she shouted before falling on the ground, covering her head with her arms. At the same time, Loki's magic exploded. The green light hit the ground before spreading everywhere: on the ground, the trees, the air. Nothing was spared, not even Eisa, who was propelled backwards violently. The fallen leaves flew around and the closest trees burnt – but it wasn't from fire or electricity; green flames enveloped them before, leaving nothing but black silhouettes of the trees they had once been.

The sound of magic and the howling wind echoed in the entire forest. When Eisa was able to open her eyes and breathe again, she immediately looked at her hands to make sure she was safe. Once reassured about her safety, she looked back at Loki who was still standing on the ground. Then, she heard deep growls.

Eisa had just time to look around her to realize that there were half a dozen wolves surrounding them. Some stood on the ground, some held onto the trunks with some incredible strength. All growled in a threatening way, their rage focused solely on Loki. They had been hidden from their view. Those creatures, ready to attack at any moment, had been followed them from the beginning.

Knowing they were discovered, several wolves howled and a wind, colder and different from the one Loki had raised with his magic, came to them. In some twisted way, Eisa and Loki guessed it was Hyrokkin's presence, much more vivid to them now that he had destroyed the illusion around them.

A wolf barked at Loki before stepping forward, steps were slow at first before he accelerated and took in momentum to jump at the Prince.

"Let the Hunt begin!" Loki shouted, crouching down while glaring and grinning at the animal.

He took out his dagger when the wolf jumped, ready to strike down the god. As the wolf rose above him, he struck — not with his dagger, but with a sword of seiðr — so that when the wolf should have fallen on Loki and torn his throat open it was the wolf's throat bleeding instead.

Loki shouted in rage when he swung his seiðr blade above his head, cutting the animal in half. It yapped and fell on the ground in two different pieces, limbs moving frantically for a short moment before ceasing.

For a short moment, nothing moved or breathed. Everything stopped; the entire forest froze to take in the fact that one of its wolves had died.

Eisa stopped breathing, eyes wide open and staring at the dead animal while Loki swung his magical sword around. Using his seiðr to create a blade was a hard and complicated spell that required focus and power. Loki didn't need any of it, he was above it all – he had reached a level of magic that didn't require whispering magical words, focus or a great power. He was above it all; he was a real  _master of magic_.

Then, the air turned icy cold and the wind turned to a hiss, the hiss of fury and pain from Hyrokkin wherever she was, and all the wolves barked and jumped at Loki at once.

Loki didn't even blink, swinging his green, fiery sword around and throwing daggers and knives to injure the wolves. Limbs were cut, animals were howling in rage and pain, blood was spilling everywhere and in only a short few minutes, all the wolves were dead. Eisa stared at Loki, who was shaking from adrenaline, rage and exhaustion as he breathed harshly, his face covered in sweat and blood. His eyes were wide open and he blinked slowly, before his seiðr blade disappeared and the dagger that was the base of this sword slipped from his fingers, landing without a sound on the leaves.

Loki looked around and then down at his trembling hands, unsure if he had done so much damage on his own. When he looked over his shoulder at Eisa, still kneeling on the ground, eyes widened in shock and lips parted in astonishment, he knew he had done it. He wasn't sure if he was proud of any of it, but he knew he had been right: he had destroyed the illusion that would have surely turned them mad, he had killed the wolves that could have attacked and killed them at any moment and neither he nor Eisa was hurt in any way.

He had acted rightly, in order to save them, but he didn't feel proud in any way. He looked again at the butchered corpses of wolves, swallowing hard when he realized that he didn't know, at this point in his mission, if he should feel pride. He  _had_  found the truth about the Mountain Giants for his father and he hadn't caused the war himself. Why did he feel so hollow then? Why did he feel like  _everything_  he'd done so far, all the pain he had gone through and the blood he'd bled out, had been meaningless? Just a few minutes ago, he had felt good when he had let out his rage through his magic and killed those wolves, but… had the Labyrinth scarred him  _that much?_  Would he feel alive  _only_  when he would be raging?

"L-Loki…?"

He turned towards Eisa, who was slowly straightening up, looking around at the dead wolves.

"Eisa?"

"Y-you're all right?" She asked, staring, right into his eyes.

He opened his lips to answer and took a deep breath, straightening his back and looking up at the trees around them. Somehow, the trees seemed less alike, as if the illusion of walking by the same trees was gone. As if they could get out of this forest…

"What you just did…" Eisa started, walking towards him while avoiding the bits of wolves.

Loki looked back at her as she was looking around, impressed by his actions earlier. She smiled up at him, her eyes gleaming.

"It was absolutely amazing…! Y-you looked so fierce and powerful! Do you know how complicated a seiðr blade is to make?! You did it perfectly!"

She grabbed his face with her two hands, her fingers almost digging in his skin.

"You… are even more powerful than I ever thought you could be…" She whispered before pulling him down to kiss.

Loki felt too numb or disturbed by his own actions to kiss her back as fiercely as she was kissing him, but when she pulled away, she didn't seem to notice his shaken eyes.

"This sword you used as a blade, will you give it a name?" She asked, titling her head to one side.

Loki looked down at his dagger, still fuming from his magic. It was resting on the wet ground at his feet but before he could answer or even think about the answer he could have given, they heard the violent hissing sound. It was the sound the wind howling its fury, echoed by wolves barking their rage.

Loki looked over Eisa's shoulder; she followed his gaze and they froze for a short moment.

"We need to move, NOW!" He shouted, leaning down to take his dagger before taking her hand and starting to run.

They heard more wolves howling and barking as Hyrokkin's high-pitched, inhuman shriek shook their bones.

They looked over their shoulders, the vision they were welcomed with only encouraging them to accelerate. The rest of the wolves' pack was running furiously after them and in the middle, leading them, was Hyrokkin, frightening in her dark, shrivelling robes. She was standing on some sort of sledge, made of sharp black iron. The deadly sledge was pulled by a gigantic black horse with eyes as black as his mistress'. Her left arm was holding the reins while her right some long black whip. She made it slam while the horse neighed, his scream echoed by the howls of wolves.

Loki and Eisa were running as fast as possible, jumping over dead trunks and sliding on leaves, slaloming between trees as fast as possible, but the sledge and the wolves were drawing closer.

A wolf that was faster than the other jumped in front of Loki and Eisa. They braked suddenly before changing course, but the wolf jumped on Eisa who fell to the ground with a scream under the weight of the animal. The Prince turned around and threw a knife right between the animal's eyes, but it wasn't the same weapon as his seiðr blade. It hurt the wolf, but didn't kill him, it only yapped and barked, shaking its head. But it gave enough time for Eisa to grab her own dagger and dive it into the animal's throat. Blood spilled from the wound and the wolf barked again, its voice strangled while she pushed it off of her body, moving her sharp dagger so that it would hurt the wolf even more. He fell on its side, condemned to bleed out while she struggled on her feet and the two lovers continued their crazy run.

Loki and Eisa ran as fast as possible, but the wolves had caught up with them, surrounding them in a threatening circle and cutting off all of their ways out. They looked around at the numerous giant wolves ready to attack them, weapons raised, ready to fight.

Then, they heard the sliding of the sledge approaching behind them, and the whip slamming the air violently. They turned around when Hyrokkin arrived, her face furious and her eyes colder than Jotunheim's icy lands. Loki and Eisa both shivered at seeing her as she slammed her weapon in the air once again.

"You will pay for what you've done, both of you! You should not have played with me, Loki  _Odinson!_  I will make you suffer for my children! You will  _both_  regret entering the Iron Woods!" She shouted with a hissing threatening voice.

Her horse neighed and wolves barked furiously to support her. Loki noticed with dread that her reins were moving on their own – before realizing they were big black snakes hissing ferociously, as angry as their mistress. Loki held back a shiver while Hyrokkin lifted up her arm and lashed out with her whip.

It grabbed Eisa around her neck; she screamed and, before either her or the Prince could react, Hyrokkin pulled viciously, almost ripping the brown-haired woman's skin off. Eisa flew along the sledge, to the witch's feet. She tried to get up, grabbing the whip around her neck with her hands, but her face, which was covered in the wolf's blood, only showed her struggle.

"No!" She gasped when Hyrokkin pulled her up on her feet forcefully, almost strangling her in the process, "Hyrokkin! You can't do that!" She cried out, her voice breaking.

Loki threw one of his knives at Hyrokkin but her arm had been freed from her snake-rein; she caught it before it touched her face, her black eyes glancing at Loki and staring right into his soul. His heart missed a beat as Hyrokkin pulled Eisa even closer to her, her lips just next to the young woman's ear. The two women stared at Loki with very different expressions: the witch looking dreadful in her cold rage, her black orbs a pit of darkness that seemed to corrupt Loki's sanity; the seiðr's user was staring at the god with a frightened expression, her eyes panicked and scared.

"I said you would  _both_  pay!" Hyrokkin hissed into Eisa's ear.

Then she thrusted Loki's knife into Eisa's back. Eisa gasped, struggling for air while her eyes widened in shock and panic, her lips trembling. The raven haired man's heart missed a beat and he tried a move forward before freezing in shock.

Hyrokkin's whip fell from around the woman's neck and Eisa fell to the ground, her body limp.

Loki stared at the body of the woman he had made love to only a day before and then looked back up at the Witch of the Iron Woods, his lips parted in shock, unable of any movement or word.

"Your turn, petty Prince…" She murmured, making her whip slamming against the air violently.

* * *

_Next chapter next Saturday ;)_

_NEXT CHAPTER : THE SHADOW IN THE MIST_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	20. The Shadow in the Mist

_Here is the chapter! :D_

_Thank you to all who kudoed and booked! :D_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER XX : The Shadow in the Mist

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. After going through the Crossway and facing his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories they infiltrate the fortress of Utgard, they find out that the Giants want war more than ever and after killing the Mountain Giants' Prince, they escape. Odin and Fornjótr both prepare themselves for the battle to come. The two advance to join the Asgardians but find themselves into the Iron Woods, prisoner from the witch Hyrokkin. She sends them into a wicked Hunt for her amusement but after Loki killed several of her wolves, she hunts them down herself before diving a knife into Eisa's back.]_

"Your turn, petty prince…" Hyrokkin murmured, making her whip clacking against the air violently.

Loki's eyes snapped to the witch, and he glared at her furiously, his brows furrowed in rage. She only gave a tiny, enigmatic and cold smile, enjoying her power.

"I don't think so." He hissed back, his hands trembling in anger while more knives were ready to strike.

Loki heard the snap of the whip before seeing it move. He moved just slightly to the side and felt a stinging pain on his left cheek. Hyrokkin's snakes and wolves hissed and growled while the prince lifted up his hand before and stared at the crimson liquid on his fingers. He could feel the drop of blood rolling down his cheek and he smirked coldly.

"Hyrokkin, you will pay for what you've done to Eisa." He started, looking at her darkly as she climbed down her sledge. Both of them walked slowly, circling around each other at a distance.

"Oh? Is this love, my prince?" She asked with a satisfied look on her face.

"Don't think me so weak. I don't do  _love_." He replied, stopping in his tracks, "But I'm  _excellent_  at revenge!" He exclaimed, throwing several knives.

Hyrokkin avoided three of them, but the fourth hit her in the arm and she hissed ferociously, looking down at her little injury. The knife had barely brushed her, but it had been enough to draw blood and when she looked back at Loki, who was smiling sweetly, the witch understood he hadn't meant to wound her badly. He had only wanted her to make bleed as much as he was. He only wanted to threaten her.

Hyrokkin's arm rose and the whip shot down. Loki jumped away as it hit the leaf-covered ground, he ran to a tree and jumped off it for momentum before surging towards the witch. She jumped away when he almost fell on her, but he threw his dagger at her. She leaned down, avoiding it swiftly as they started a macabre dance of clacking whip and shiny blades.

Hyrokkin jumped away another time and lifted up her arm, but it wasn't to use her whip. At this moment, all wolves surged towards Loki, who acted just as fast: he lifted up his arm, now bright with the green light of his seiðr, and threw it towards the ground with a sharp movement. He shouted as the magic illuminated his face and sent waves of pure burning energy all around, hitting all the animals. The wolves yapped and howled in pain before falling to the ground, convulsing.

For a short moment, the black witch stared incredulously at the prince and her dead children but then, she realized he had killed even more of her kin. Hyrokkin hissed and yelled before hurling her weapon at him. Loki had expected it and moved to throw his last two knives, knocking the daggers out of his hand. He screamed in pain when the leather snapped around his forearm through his vambrace. His gaze lowered to his forearm and he realized why it was burning so badly: the entire whip was now a bright green. In her fury, Hyrokkin had infused her whip with her seiðr – which made it a thousand times more dangerous. Loki tried to pull his arm away, but the burning was making his protections, leather and clothes fall into little flaming green pieces on the ground.

Face covered in sweat, feeling the fire sipping into his skin and flesh, Loki looked up right into Hyrokkin's deadly eyes and opened his lips to shout out his rage and pain. Ignoring the pain, he jerked his arm around and grabbed the burning whip, his hand smocking while he kept screaming. The Iron Woods' Witch was so surprised Loki would do such a thing that she stared at his burning arm. The Prince, not willing to give up or bend to such a creature, yanked the whip suddenly with so much strength that the woman fell forward, her whip escaping her hand while she rebalanced herself.

Hyrokkin looked up, furious but then she hesitated again when she realized that her seiðr was still illuminating the whip. At first, she thought it was because she was holding it w, but then, it slowly disappeared. Loki's grin showed her what she needed to know: that he had drained the energy she had put into her weapon for his own sake. Still partly wrapped around his hand, more flames burnt the leather, but this time the whip was set aflame and fell into ashes on the ground.

Loki gave his twisted grin and started to advance confidently despite his aching, burning and still smocking arm. Hyrokkin's breath came short in slight panic now that she was weaponless and all her allies dead.

"Give up, Hyrokkin! You're  _no match_  for me!" Loki yelled with a threatening voice as he kept advancing quickly.

Realizing too late she had underestimated him, Hyrokkin pursed her lips before lifting up her hands, bright with magic, and thrusting them at him full force. The god lifted up his own arms to deflect the seiðr's pure energy away; the surrounding trees were blown away and what was left of them burned with green flames. Loki tried to attack with his own magic, but Hyrokkin was faster: she lifted up her arms over her head, looking dreadful. Suddenly, all of Loki's daggers and knives shot up in the air. Hyrokkin gave a sharp twist of her wrists and the blades turned around, tips towards Loki. He tried to create a shield for himself made of seiðr, but the weapons darted towards him. Several hit him, but instead of making him bleed deeply, the daggers penetrated his clothes and pushed him backwards. He was pinned on the ground by his own weapons, air escaping his lungs violently. Loki opened his eyes and saw just one dagger right above his throat, floating in the air as if held by some invisible thread that could break at any moment.

Loki stared at the shining tip of the dagger, waiting for it to fall into his throat and kill him but it didn't. It stayed above his white skin, trembling in the agonizing anticipation of it to just cut his thread of life. Loki didn't dare breathe while his heart hammered ferociously in his chest, his fear of dying taking over every fibre of his body.

Loki heard Hyrokkin's slow steps between dead leaves and dead bodies of her wolves. He didn't dare glance at her, he couldn't while pinned on the ground with a knife above his throat. He knew that she was the one keeping the dagger close enough to end his life but haunting him by waiting so long. She wanted to enjoy killing him. She wanted to see him struggling for air while blood gurgled out of his mouth and throat.

Then she appeared in his field of view. Her dark face hovered just above him, admiring the fear shining brightly in his eyes as green as his seiðr.

"Don't underestimate me. What do you think of being killed by your own weapons?" Hyrokkin asked almost softly, leaning down towards Loki until her dresses and hair tickled his face.

Loki didn't answer, his breath coming in short pants of panic and fear at being defeated. If he were to try any move, the weapons pinning him down would surely cut every inch of muscle it was retaining and the dagger would dive into his throat.

"I don't usually get involved with the wars of these useless Realms, but I think I will enjoy bringing your dead body pinned by your own daggers to your father and brother…" She said with that smile he couldn't explain. "Do you think they'll be pained by your loss?" She inquired thoughtfully.

His heart starting beating hollowly as Hyrokkin's question resonated in his mind. He wanted to yell that, of course, they would be pained to see him dead. But his throat was dry – and it wasn't because of the dagger above his Adam's apple.

Loki wanted to push away these dark thoughts to the back of his mind, but he was unable to. Hyrokkin must have guessed it because her tiny strange smile twitched appreciatively.

"Send my regards to the previous intruders of my woods in Hel," she murmured, her fingers moving to push the dagger down his throat.

Loki stopped breathing, waiting for the pain and death, but suddenly, Hyrokkin looked up. He was too curious to not try glancing to the side, even if he couldn't move and the only thing he saw was smoke: a white smoke slowly making its way towards them, surrounding them slowly. He felt the magic snapping; his daggers were not holding him down anymore – but the one above his throat wasn't floating anymore either. He just had time to roll slightly away before the blade hit the ground, while the god straightened up and moved away from Hyrokkin, his daggers falling from his clothes and clicking against each other.

Only then did Loki followed the witch's gaze and stared at the white vapour coming out of nowhere, approaching them much faster than smoke should be able to. When it arrived closer to him, it felt cold and he reached out curiously with his fingers, sensing tiny icy feelings on his burnt hand. He realized it was mist, but then he heard a creaking sound and after glancing at a nearby dead wolf, he saw it being suddenly covered in ice until it broke apart.

Loki was so shocked that he jumped away from the icy mist even if he couldn't escape it. From the corner of his eye, he saw the mist covering slowly Eisa. His lips opened but she seemed fine, as if the mist wasn't touching her or hurting her. Some white swirls approached his foot and he tried to jerk away, but the mist had already touched his boot. Loki waited a moment, but no ice formed, so he let the mist move closer to him, surrounding him. He could feel its cold and humidity, but it wasn't turning him into an ice cube like everything else around him: the trunks of trees, the dead leaves or wolves. Only what was still alive and breathing wasn't being turned into ice. Loki felt some sort of tingling sensation in his left arm, which had been burnt, and lifted it away from the mist. The strange fog followed his movements, however, and surrounded his arm, almost gently. It pricked his skin a little but when the mist moved away, swirling around him, his arm was mostly healed. It was still obvious his skin had been burnt and skinned off partially from the whip, but it was healing.

Loki stared incredulously at the white mist, then his arm, and then the mist again, not understanding what was happening. He knew of the magical mists of Niflheim, the World of Ice. But this strange fog was most definitely  _not_  from Niflheim, it was  _something else_. He couldn't tell whether or not it was friendly and he hated this gut-wrenching feeling.

He heard movement on his right and remembered Hyrokkin; Loki glanced back at her and froze. Not from the cold, he's never been as sensible to the cold as others. It was shock and incredulity that made him shiver.

The threatening dark figure of Hyrokkin had gotten up and was staring at the mist with eyes widened in  _terror_. She was stepping back frenetically, trying to escape the touch of the mist. She shook her head and lifted up her hands, not in defence or attack, but as if she were  _begging_.

"M-Mistress…!" She breathed, looking all around at the mist closing onto her.

Loki's jaw dropped and his eyes widened at the mention of Hyrokkin's "Mistress". She had said it was a powerful sorceress, the  _most_  powerful of all: Heiðr.

"M-Mistress…! P-please!" Hyrokkin exclaimed, looking frightened to the bones by this mist.

Then she started screaming, her head jerking backwards in pain as she barely managed to stay on her feet. Loki saw the frost starting to cover her legs and the hem of her dress, going as high as her thighs, freezing her like a macabre ice statue.

"Mistress, please!" She shouted with a breaking voice, "I-I'm sorry! I'll spare him! I swear! I'll spare him!" She yelled.

Loki stared at the vision in front of him of his enemy, just a few minutes ago, begging for mercy from some icy mist that was killing her because she had attacked _him_. He wondered for a moment why the mist – or Heiðr, if Hyrokkin's words were true and Gullveig  _had_  survived and had a thirst for revenge – would want  _him_  spared, but then he saw the frost slowing down. It stopped at Hyrokkin's waist level and for a moment, everyone held their breath.

"I'll spare him… I swear…" Hyrokkin breathed in a voice so low and shaking, it was barely audible.

Nothing changed then the frost started to recede. The dark witch breathed in relief, still glancing down with a panicked gaze at the mist.

Once all ice left her legs, she fell on her knees, giving a hissing scream of pain – mourning pain at the loss of all of her children at the hands of a man she couldn't even kill.

Then, the mist turned its attention towards Loki, swirling towards him. He jerked away once again though he was already sitting in the mist. He swallowed when its swirls approached him and slowly formed a figure. He remained still as the silhouette of a kneeling woman seemed to appear, made of the mist itself, staring right into his eyes. He couldn't see this person's eyes but they were so piercing, cold and threatening that he felt his blood run cold from fear. The mist was milky white, but the silhouette staring at him in a frightening twisted curiosity seemed much darker. A Shadow in the Mist, staring right into his soul and seeing all of his deepest secrets and wounds.

For a moment, nothing breathed or moved; even the wind had seemed to stop. Time was going slowly, as if slowed down by some old and powerful magic. Then the Shadow in the Mist lifted up its foggy arm and long, milky white fingers brushed Loki's cheek and chin, lifting it up just slightly with its icy touch. Then the arm and hand turned into floating mist once again. Loki couldn't see the features of the shadow, he could barely make a face and hair, but he felt it  _smiling_  in a cold, satisfied way before the fog started to collapse on itself from a light breeze of wind.

Time started to tick again, just like Loki's heart that was suddenly overwhelming him with its loud and heavy beating. The mist slowly started to fade away, lingering a little, just like this frightening, cold and powerful presence.

On his right, Loki saw Hyrokkin slowly rising to her feet. She looked down at him with a frightening look, still furious about her loss – but after this encounter with the Shadow in the Mist, she wasn't as scary as she used to be, and she was, herself, way too panicked to appear truly threatening.

"I spare you,  _Loki Odinson!"_  She spit angrily, her eyes terrorized, "But be warned: do NOT step into my Woods again. I won't be as merciful a second time!" She exclaimed coldly.

Hyrokkin turned on her heels and jumped in her sledge. Loki barely had time to hear the hissing of her snakes when her hellish horse neighed and surged away. She disappeared almost immediately behind a few trees and after glancing around, Loki realized that the forest was back to normal. No more Iron Woods, no more illusion, no more icy mist.

His thoughts were cut short by Eisa, who moaned lightly and he immediately went over, wavering on trembling legs after using so much magic against Hyrokkin – if it was to be spared at the end, he wouldn't have bothered fighting so viciously to begin with. He put his hands on his knees, taking a moment to breathe deeply.

Loki had never used such powerful magic, or his seiðr as pure energy. His mother had always told him that he would never cease to learn and increase his level, but he never thought he had the  _potential_  of being so  _powerful_ …

Another breathless sound from the brown-haired woman cut his line of thoughts short and he forced himself to walk towards her. He saw the cut clothes and bare skin where Hyrokkin had drove his weapon into Eisa's back. Now it was only a pink line, already healing. Just like his hand. The Mist probably did this – or the Shadow, Mistress, Heiðr whoever was behind this Mist.

Loki turned the young woman around; she blinked, looking around in a gaze.

"W-wha—" She started before coughing.

Loki made his water gourd come out of his pockets and helped her drink some water while she straightened and looked around, confused and lost.

"What happened…?" She asked in a low creaking voice.

"I'm pretty sure you died and came back from Helheim."

She snapped at him and he couldn't help but gave a little mischievous smile.

"I wasn't dead, I was still alive just… barely conscious… I-I remember hearing you fighting against Hyrokkin and… and some mist…" She whispered, looking suddenly scared.

"This Mist…" Loki started before pouting, all joke leaving him, "It was…"

Eisa stared at him with a frightened gaze he couldn't explain. Thinking she was panicking because of it, he forced a tight smile.

"Not to worry about this Mist. We'll discuss it later. We escaped the Iron Woods but we'd better get away from here as soon as possible. Can you walk?"

She gave a short hesitating nod before standing with the prince's help. They started to walk away from the trees: even if they looked normal, then pair didn't want to take any risk and go back into the Iron Woods. Despite their exhaustion, weakness and hurt limbs, they managed to advance for a long moment and stopped only when they reached the edge of the woods. The trees were now more spread out and they could see a great plain with mountains behind.

"Let's rest for the night," Loki decided, falling on the ground, between a few roots.

Eisa sat next to him and they remained silent for a long moment. They were too exhausted to talk, but they were too scared to sleep, so they watched the forest growing darker as the night overwhelmed them. The stars shone weakly, still hidden behind clouds.

"Did you feel sad?" Eisa suddenly asked.

Loki's brows furrowed and he turned a confused expression towards the young woman. She was staring ahead of her, her eyes too scared of what she'd see in his own eyes to dare look at him. She finally turned her head, her green eyes shining more brightly before he realized she was holding back tears.

"When I… could have died… Did you feel sad?" She repeated in a trembling voice.

For a short moment, Loki saw the woman gasping for air with a knife,  _his_  knife into her back before falling on the ground.

He looked away from her, ahead of him, fixing on a point he wasn't really seeing. Back then, only a few hours ago, he had felt anger. He had been angry at Hyrokkin for hurting (and possibly killing) Eisa, but he couldn't tell how he considered her. An ally? A friend? A lover? Everything on this mission had happened so quickly, and everything with Eisa had been so passionate and fast Loki hasn't even realized what was really going on until she was stabbed in her back and fell on the ground.

Loki had been angry, but nothing else, nothing more. It wasn't even enough anger to feed him for his fight and he had leaned onto the rage and coldness of heart he had felt ever since his nightmares in the Labyrinth.

Eisa swallowed loudly before trying to breathe, probably understanding his line of thoughts.

"I would have. I… would have felt sad if you were to… I  _did_  feel sad every time you got injured, or I thought you were dying or dead…" She whispered.

She looked back at him, as if hoping one last time he would say something,  _anything_  but Loki didn't even glance at her. His heart felt much too heavy for him to even think about the woman next to him.

"I'm your prince. Of course you would feel sad." He said in a low voice.

He wanted to sound haughty, cold and disdainful, but it didn't sound true, even to himself.

"You're an incredible man after all. An incredibly cunning and terrifying man…" Eisa whispered, but Loki didn't answer because she was right and his silence was all the answers she needed.

Eisa's tears rolled down her cheeks in silence and after another long minute, she looked back at him.

"Tomorrow, we might cross your brother and the Asgardian troops, right?" She asked hesitantly.

"Probably, or at least get closer to their position. They shouldn't be far from here by now."

"Then after tomorrow, it won't be you and I anymore. There won't be… there won't be anything else but wars and battles… Right?" She murmured.

Loki looked back at her, a part of him feeling strangely peaceful. They'd seen and lived terrible things, they were more bruised than they could have possibly imagined and Loki had lost many things: his last bits of confidence shattered, his trust into his family and their love for him broken. His wounds were opened and abundantly bleeding. His mission to make his father proud – now it sounded so foolish even to him… It was about to reach an end. Of course, war and battles would follow, but his mission with Eisa would end soon.

"Yes…" He answered in a low voice, his green eyes showing more melancholy than he wished.

Eisa stared at him then moved slightly, kneeling in front of him and taking his face into her hands. Her thumbs brushed his cheeks and her gaze lowered to his lips before going back to his eyes.

"If it's our last night together before going back in the cages that are our lives… Make me love, Loki…" She breathed.

Loki stared at her, a little thunderstruck that Eisa would ask such a thing so boldly. He chuckled lightly, thinking for a moment of how they had met and ended up on the same mission, helping each other out. She'd always been bold and free. She was born wild and curious; a cage was no place for someone like that. His watery green eyes looked into her bright emerald ones, turning into a dark silver from the light of the stars and the moon. There was a glint in her eyes that made him know that even though he'd regret it, he would follow her anywhere – at least until the morning came.

His hands grabbed her face and pulled her down for a slow and passionate kiss. Eisa kissed him back, drawing closer as Loki wrapped his strong arms around her waist, keeping her close to him. They pulled away, already breathless from this simple kiss, but after a glance into each other's eyes, they fell over the edge once again and their lips were craving one another once more. Their hands were reaching for more skin to touch, more sensations and more feelings. If it was their last night of freedom, they would make the most of it.

The stars didn't shine bright that night, even though the Norns' threads were finally drawing to an end. Their tapestry would soon to be revealed, even though only a branch in an entire tree of fate could be seen…

Loki woke up, startled by some noise, but the only sound he could hear was the hammering of his heart in his chest. He forced himself to calm down before realizing that the sky was a light purple. The sun would rise soon.

Knowing he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again, Loki reached for his clothes and dressed himself, glancing at Eisa quickly as she moaned and slowly woke up. She glanced up at him then at the sky. They both ignored the veil of sadness that fell on her face it as she grabbed her clothes and dressed herself.

"We should wait for the sun to rise. There are still night creatures that might be dangerous." Eisa said in a low voice.

Loki nodded and they waited in silence, staring at the sunrise despite the little clouds in the sky. The light purple slowly turned into a blue so light, it was almost white before taking pink shades.

"Ah, the morning birds are chirping." Eisa noticed with a smile.

She opened her lips to say something once again but Loki raised his hand, brow furrowed, shutting her up.

"Shh! Listen!"

They remained silent while the sky's pink shades turned red.

Loki wasn't looking at the sky anymore; he grinned and got up suddenly, looking over the plains and seeing the Asgardian troops, shining in their golden armour. Loki's heart beat faster as he saw his brother, even from this distance, so majestic with his bright red cape flying in his back, riding his favourite battle horse.

"Thor!" He whispered proudly, "Hurry, Eisa! We need to join them quickly!"

Loki felt a sharp pain between his shoulders blades, gasping at the sensation of the cold blade in his flesh. For a moment, he couldn't hear anything at all, no birds, no wind, no troops advancing, not even his heart. His legs gave out and he fell on his knees. Black and white points danced in front of his eyes before darkness fell on him.

* * *

_Tell me what you thought! ;)_

_NEXT CHAPTER : TRICKSTER TRICKED_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	21. Trickster Tricked

_Sorry for being late, but I was very busy these last two days... ^^''_

_Thank you to all the one who favorited and followed! :)_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER XXI : Trickster Tricked

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. After going through the Crossway and facing his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories they infiltrate the fortress of Utgard, they find out that the Giants want war more than ever and after killing the Mountain Giants' prince, they escape. Odin and Fornjótr both prepare themselves for the battle to come. The two advance to join the Asgardians but find themselves into the Iron Woods, prisoner from the witch Hyrokkin. She sends them into a wicked Hunt for her amusement but after_ _Loki killed several of her wolves, she hunts them down herself before diving a knife into Eisa's back Het gets rid of Hyrokkin thanks to some mysterious magical mist and Heiðr's intervention. The next morning, he sees the Asgardian troops but he's stabbed before being abl_ _e to join them._ _]_

When Loki came back to himself, the first thing he was aware of was the headache and the pain in his back. He moaned before realizing that his wound had been healed enough that it wouldn't bleed out – but it was still there and hurting. He blinked open his eyes, his vision blurry. He was sitting against a tree; his hands were attached behind his back. Brows furrowed, he looked over his shoulder, and saw magical Asgardian handcuffs – the same as ordinary handcuffs but used with seiðr so that they could also be attached to something else if necessary; in this case it was a tree.

"Awake princess?"

Loki looked up and saw Eisa sitting on a fallen trunk a few meters away from him. She was carefully washing her dagger blade with a tissue.

His jaw dropped before he tried once again to get free, but he couldn't. He glared at the woman who was ignoring him completely.

The last thing Loki remembered was seeing the Asgardian troops before being stabbed in his back. He looked up quickly towards the plains, now empty. No more soldiers or Asgardians – they had moved forward, not realizing that their prince was in danger here.

Loki clenched his jaw and fists, rage surging within him. He had been so close to them, to joining his brother and sharing everything he knew about the Mountain Giants, but the seiðr user had intentionally stopped him.

He thought back about everything he knew – or  _thought_  he knew – and stared at her viciously. She had played him all along.

"That's you. You're the spy," Loki said with a hard voice.

The tissue stopped moving and Eisa looked back at him. Her green eyes now looked deadly cold and dangerous – like the fiery vision he had seen in the Labyrinth.

" _Finally_ … You understood at last. I'm either an amazing actress, or you're a complete fool," she replied, her voice mocking and glacial.

"Let me go." Loki ordered, eyes narrowing at her.

"Why would I do that?" She asked with a chuckle, "I've got you right where I wanted from the beginning. I won't let you go so easily, Loki."

Loki didn't answer, too furious and hurt. His heart was burning in raging flames and his blood was boiling. He wanted only one thing: to surge at her and break her neck. Eisa had used him, manipulated him, and attacked him. She had lied to him from the beginning, spying on him.

But he wouldn't let her get what she wanted, and he needed to find answers. Why did she act like that? If she was the spy, then she could have killed him weeks ago, even before going to Jotunheim. She saved him many times.  _Why?_  What was her goal?

"What do you want from me exactly,  _Eisa?_ " Loki inquired with an icy voice, "Is that even your  _real_  name?"

He managed to grab a tool hidden in his coat with his long fingers as he spoke.

In silence and as discreetly as possible, Loki straightened up, as if he were trying to sit more comfortably, all the while slowly picking the handcuff's lock with his hook. Loki had done this many times in training, just like Thor, but it was always more complicated in a real-life situation.

Eisa – or whatever her real name was – didn't seem to notice anything. She smiled at him. The same sweet smile he had never understood.

"Do you  _really_  think I would use my real name? And be caught at the mere sound of it?" She asked, "No, I've lied about  _everything_ , Loki. Nothing you know about me is true. I've made myself a new identity,  _just for you_ …"

"I'm flattered. But now that you have revealed your real intentions, why not share your real name with me?" He asked with a sly grin that showed his bitterness.

"You know nothing of my real intentions. And I have many names."

She paused before sliding her finger against her blade, brushing it almost delicately.

"Some call me ' _Bringer of Sorrow'_ … Or… Angrboða," she finally said, her bright cold eyes meeting Loki's furious ones.

He clenched his jaw so hard he felt his teeth clattering. He had heard the rumours and stories about this witch who was  _never_  caught and  _never_  failed her missions as a spy. Wherever she was going, death and sorrow would follow.

Loki lowered his head, thinking about all of her sweet words and nice intentions. Her pretty smiles and beautiful eyes. How she had looked so innocent, shy and caring. It had all been an illusion, a face she had made just for him to fall in her trap.

"But not to worry, you will not die – not yet," Eisa said with a smile, "My Mistress still wants you alive for the time being."

"Mistress?" Loki repeated, thinking immediately of Hyrokkin's words about Gullveig. She had called her 'Mistress' too.

"Yes, I believe you heard of her – Gullveig, or Heiðr as she calls herself now. I'm her student in seiðr, which makes me  _so_  much more powerful than you. Even if, I must admit it, you impressed me on  _many_  occasions. I knew you were a talented trickster, but I had no idea you could have so much…  _power_. I didn't think you would be able to survive so long, but you did, as surprising as it may be."

"Keep your compliments for another time! Tell me what you want of me!" Loki exclaimed, sweat rolling down his temple from the fever he could feel rising within him.

"I'm only working for Heiðr,  _she_  is the one who wants something from you," Eisa replied darkly.

"Then what is it?!" He shouted, surging forward in rage despite still being handcuffed.

Loki almost dropped his tool in the process, but forced himself to calm down, focusing once again on the moves of his fingers all the while glaring at the spy.

"For the time being: for you to remain alive, to not tell the Asgardians anything and to stay away from the battlefield. We still need you, Loki." She said.

"You will have  _nothing_  of me!" He hissed.

"Oh, but you already did," she said with a smile, "You already gave me  _everything_  I needed from you. Your job is done. I just have to keep you away from harm."

"I don't want of your protection! Was everything a lie?!"

"I told you,  _everything_  was a lie."

"Then tell me the truth! TELL ME! What do you want from  _me?!_  Why would you or Gullveig be interested in  _me?!_  I'm only the second prince of Asgard! Why ME?!" Loki shouted furiously, his voice resonating in the surrounding trees.

Angrboda stared at him for a long moment, not saying a thing, only observing his furious expression. Loki's head throbbed in pain and he moaned, his vision going blurry for a moment as his fever only rose. When he looked back up at Angrboda, he clenched his jaw, not wanting her,  _his enemy_ , to see him weak.

"Kill me with the truth, don't save me with your lies!" Loki hissed, his gaze murderous.

Angrboda sighed before getting up, approaching him slowly. She kneeled just in front of him, close enough to look right into his soul, but too far away for him to kick her or hurt her in any way – unfortunately for him.

"It  _is_  because you are the second prince that we needed you of  _all_  people. We have no interest in Thor – he is weak and stupid. You, on the other hand… You are  _very_  special, your nature is…  _different,_  and you use seiðr. You are the only of your kind mixing such blood with magic.  _That_  makes you special."

"I'm not special, many before me have mastered magic!" Loki exclaimed, "My own mother taught me magic! You know nothing of me!"

"Do I? On the contrary, I'd say I know more about you than  _you_  do."

Loki glared at her before snorting, showing a cold smile.

"You tricked me. I could almost be impressed. Is everything that happened of your own doing?" He asked, trying to buy time so he could escape.

Angrboda shrugged nonchalantly, giving a falsely innocent look.

"More or less."

"You turned my Mother's maids against her, then you attacked Thor so  _I_  would be the one coming in Jotunheim – am I right?" He started, his voice hard as steel.

Angrboda gave a little sided nod of approval, encouraging him to continue.

"Then you followed me here, you started killing off all of the spies and Einherjar that were but you didn't think you would be found out by me."

She stopped him, lifting up her finger to correct him.

"Oh no, I  _made_  so you would notice me hidden in those rocks. I  _wanted_  you to find me, to push me away before I could come back. You would trust me much easier this way."

Loki snorted, annoyed to know he had been tricked so easily.

"Was the dragon your pet?" He continued, his voice mocking.

"No, that was an accident. I didn't think we would fall upon such a creature, but it only drew us closer even faster… Didn't it?" Angrboda asked, leaning forward, her nails brushing his jaw with a satisfied smirk.

Loki moved his head away and hissed in anger. She didn't seem impressed and only let go of him.

"You made up the whole part about someone else following me: that was you."

"I'm the spy, and I'm the killer," Angrboda admitted proudly.

"The Crossroad…" He started, staring at her in a defensive stance.

Surely, she could  _not_  have predicted he would take this road – right?

"Ah  _yes_ , I particularly enjoyed the road we took. So charming with so many pretty landscapes, don't you think?" Angrboda said with a smile.

"How—"

"Do you really think we made up all this in a few months? We've been working for this plan to work for  _centuries_!" The Sorceress exclaimed, " _So_  many years ago, you found an opened book in the library, didn't you? A book talking about the mystical Crossroad…"

Loki's heart missed a beat, his eyes widening, suddenly recalling this day. He had been much younger and he had seen a book opened. Curiosity had won over him and thinking it might have been some of his father's reading, he went closer and started reading about the Crossroad. It had caught his interest and he had spent most of his time researching the Crossroad and Midgardian legends about it.

"And it was  _so easy_  to appear as one of those Asgardian researchers, bringing you a  _gift_  from the human world."

"The Golden Thread…" Loki whispered, his eyes glancing down at his pockets where he knew the Sphere was.

"Exactly. See, Loki, we've been preparing you for centuries…" Angrboda murmured, "And it worked exactly according to the plan."

Loki started thinking about how proud and powerful he had felt in the Crossroad when he had explained everything to Eisa, who had looked  _so_  curious about it. When she had known everything already – and even more. She probably already knew that the 'monster' had been a kitten, and what sort of kitten it was. If anything, the Golden Thread  _did_  protect him and guide him – but following the path  _she_  had chosen.

"The Labyrinth…" Loki breathed, his heart clenching painfully when flashes of the nightmares he had seen came rushing into his mind.

"Yes, do you know that the Crossroad isn't only a crossway between all Worlds, but also time?" Angrboda started, looking thoughtful, "Everything you lived there… You have yet to see it."

Loki's eyes looked up at her suddenly, his heart clenching painfully.

"No."

"Oh  _yes!_ " She exclaimed, laughing. "Oh, maybe not everything, and part of it was probably turned into some twisted vision or nightmare… But you saw all of this for a purpose…"

Loki could barely breathe, air struggling to enter his lungs. He saw it all over again: his parents dead, his brother hurt, himself so dark, so twisted, so  _evil_ … It couldn't be the future. It was  _impossible_ , he _wasn't such a monster!_

"I-it's impossible…" He breathed, but it was so low Angrboda didn't hear him.

"You were already so  _distraught_  when I created a vision of my own self – that was  _so_  funny to see you slowly turn into a dark, vengeful god, ready to hurt and kill your own family out of  _anger!_  You were  _so close_  to the person I want you to become!" She exclaimed, laughing once again.

It was the same laugh she had had in the vision. Loki looked at her once again, not believing that she had created a vision of herself and said everything she had said  _on purpose_. To create a monster… Everything he had felt since this vision of a fiery Eisa – rage, sadness, jealousy –  _she_  had been the one working for those feeling to appear.  _She_  was the one who made him feel so terrible,  _she_  made him wish for his family's deaths, pretending to care for him so he would trust her – and he  _did_  and  _kissed_  her not long after. She had tried to turn him into a monster and it had  _worked_ …

Loki slowly looked back at her, lips parted in shock at the revelations she had given him. His heart hurt, but he could ignore the pain if he focused on the rage – and he was more than willing to make her pay for everything she had done to him. The psychological trauma, his dark thoughts… He only wanted revenge, but unlike what she had hoped, he'd take his revenge against  _her_. He would be the monster she wanted him to become – but the monster would destroy  _her_.

"Then we reached Utgard and once again, you thought yourself above me. Giving me orders, translating the Mountain Giants' dialect… That was quite ridiculous considering the fact that I am one of them!"

His eyes narrowed in disbelief and then Loki made a disgusted face, suddenly sick – he'd been played so  _well_  by some  _Giant!_

"You can't be," he said, staring at her features. "You look too  _Asgardian_  to be a  _Mountain Giant!_ "

Angrboda smiled at him, as if she knew something he didn't – and he apparently knew very little, no matter how infuriating it could be.

"Oh, Loki… Don't judge a book by its cover. Appearances can be tricks too. And, just a little illusion, if you have a level in magic good enough to hide your magical print, it would go unnoticed, even to a seiðr user. It went unnoticed by  _you_  the  _whole time! The trickster tricked!_  You call yourself a God of Mischief, Lies and Tricks, but you know  _nothing_ , Loki  _Odinson!_ " Angrboda exclaimed, lifting up her arms in the air.

Green light shimmered and after being blinded for a short moment during which Loki looked away, she appeared as she really was. Angrboda, the Bringer of Sorrow. He swallowed, seeing the fiery illusion of Eisa – she wasn't an illusion anymore, she had never been  _Eisa_ , but she still looked like a destructive fire.

Eisa's auburn hair, usually braided, was now long and mesmerizing, red as blood. Her clothes become a beautiful dress that flew around like a flame ready to swallow him whole. Her eyes, a pale cold green even took a shade of melted gold.

Angrboda smirked at him, appearing as who she really was: taller, stronger, more powerful than ever. A Mountain Giant, a witch, a spy, a traitor.

"I will kill you, slowly, painfully, and when you'll be screaming for mercy, I'll heal you just enough to start all over again…" Loki whispered in a cold voice, his heart icy from rage at seeing the woman who had destroyed him and made a monster of him.

Angrboda laughed at his threat, her true appearance overwhelming and bright with power.

"You think you can threaten  _me?_  When you're attached at a  _tree?"_  She questioned, approaching him, her dress flying around like a mesmerizing fire, "I don't think you understand the situation you're in: you've been used, tricked and manipulated for  _centuries_  just in order to give me the  _only_  thing I needed from you. We prepared  _this_  moment for a very long time and we have triggered a war just for  _fun!_  Really, this imbecilic Fornjótr thinks I'm his spy, but I've been using him to attack Asgard. I mean, after all… We  _did_  need a good reason for you to come in Jotunheim. And what reason would be any better than for you to spy on the All Father's greatest enemies? Of course, if Odin, or Thor, or any of your 'friends' were to die during this war… It'd just be a bonus."

She leaned forward, her eyes as dangerous as a wild animal ready to strike its prey.

"Don't underestimate me, Loki," Angrboda whispered, eyes shining coldly.

Loki glared at her when he finally the familiar clicking sound of the handcuffs being unlocked.

"Don't underestimate  _me!"_  Loki hissed.

Loki jumped forward, knocking off the handcuffs with a shout of rage. He threw his seiðr energy at Angrboda but she moved out of the way; several trees ended up wiped out instead. Loki was too blinded by his fury to think clearly and he turned towards the witch, ready to strike again, but she had taken her dagger out of its sheath. Angrboda lifted the dagger as his hands were about to catch and break her neck. Her dagger went right as his stomach. Loki gasped as Angrboda jumped away. He tasted blood in his mouth and put a hand on his wound, bleeding abundantly, but his heart was still shouting that he needed to kill her. Loki took a step forward, but his vision turned blurry and his legs gave out under him.

Loki breathed deeply before coughing blood, his entire body shaking from exhaustion, rage and pain.

"I… will kill you…!" He exclaimed between his teeth, lips turned red from the blood.

"Don't bother," she simply said, rolling her eyes.

Loki's hand grabbed one of his throwing knives and with a sudden surge of energy, he got up and ran to her, throwing the knife. Angrboda avoided it with ease. The prince almost fell forward when he walked through the illusion before staring at the ground that was getting more and more difficult to see.

"I think you're missing the fact that I tricked you for weeks now," she mocked from behind him, walking quietly.

Loki turned around and wavered but managed to stay on his feet. Loki knew he wasn't just exhausted from his whole mission, from being beaten up and using so much of his magic. Something was wrong with him since he had woken up – he'd been unwell, he had a fever and it was even worse since he had attacked her.

"What did you do to me?" Loki asked weakly, choking on his own blood.

"Well, you were hit by a dagger covered in poison  _twice_ , so…"

Angrboda simply shrugged, smiling. Loki could barely make her silhouette anymore.

"You probably won't die – well, I  _don't think so_. But you will go through quite some pain, and I'm pretty sure it's the pain you promised  _me_ … But,  _oh_. What a  _surprise. Trickster tricked_. Taken into his  _own_  game!" She mocked.

Loki glared at her, or tried to considering everything was spinning around him and he could barely stay on his feet. He could still feel this burning sensation ready to come out and strike her down. She had made the monster, she'd face him.

"Hyacinth flower is my favourite. Not only it is very poisonous, especially when it enters your system, but it's also the flower of sorrow…" Angrboda murmured.

When she looked back at Loki, he was looking down, eyes closed. She thought for a moment he would collapse (at last!) but instead, his green eyes looked back up at her. Angrboda froze, shaken by the burning, maddening, uncontrollable rage shining in his gaze. His body was shaking, from the poison, but mostly of fury as he looked at the Bringer of Sorrow.

Wind started to rise around him, spinning slowly as green light surrounded his body. Angrboda frowned, taking a step backwards, realizing he was about to cast his energy out, the one thing she had never thought possible for him at this state and that might possibly hurt her. The one thing that might kill him.

"L-Loki, w-wait…" Angrboda started with hesitation.

"Don't underestimate ME!" He yelled.

Loki roared in rage, his seiðr energy exploding all around and blasting off most trees. The green light of his magic blinded everything around and charged the air with electricity. It lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like years for Loki until he fell on his knees and his magic faded away. He blinked, trying to keep his eyes open but he could barely see anything. He saw some blasted trees, the ground partially burning with green flames. But Angrboda was gone – she wasn't dead, she would need more than that. She had run away, leaving one burning purple hyacinth flower on the ground, just in front of Loki for him to see.

Loki breathed with difficulty then fell forward, his injuries bleeding out and the poison running through his entire body.

_ Jotunheim, eighth day since the Declaration of War _

Thor looked around nervously. As his father had decided, the Crown Prince of Asgard was leading the troops, accompanied closely by the Warriors Three and Lady Sif – even if many soldiers had scowled at the idea of being led by a woman and had refused to receive her orders.

The God of Thunder had fought many battles and had already led units as part of the main troops usually led by the All Father or Týr. Now,  _he_  was leading the main troops while Týr and Odin had taken small units. It was unusual, never seen and most of the troops had been uneasy at the idea of going to war led by the young prince rather than a wise and experienced general. Thor himself couldn't understand what was his father thinking – but he trusted him. The All Father was  _always_  planning everything in advance and what he hadn't planned, he acted as if he  _knew_  it would happen. Whatever plan he had in mind, if he didn't share it with Thor and had still put him at such an important role, then  _surely_ , his plan would work.

The only part of the plan that Thor knew was that he had to lead the main troops into the mountains that would bring them directly into the Plains of Sigrún even if this pathway was risky. It was dangerous because of the nature of the land – mountains and complicated passages. Plus it was an invitation for the Mountain Giants to just wait for them and trap them in some narrow passage that would have divided the troops. Thor would have never taken this road – too risky even if it was the fastest – but that was Odin's order.

They had been walking for two entire days between some mountains on their left and a huge dark forest on their right. They were about to enter the most complicated part of the journey to Sigrún and Thor couldn't help but glance around, expecting an ambush from the Mountain Giants. He had the responsibility for all of the main troops. He couldn't fail his father.

"Thor!"

He startled, turning towards Sif who was staring at him fiercely.

"Yes?" He asked, realizing she had called him several times.

"I was asking you whether or not we should stop here and settle for the night or keep going," she explained.

Thor's lips opened and he looked around, staring at the mountains that seemed so full of dangers now that they had reached them.

"Night isn't anytime soon, we should continue and keep our advance!" Volstagg exclaimed.

"The night is promising more dangers. We should stop," Hogun said.

"Hogun is right," Thor agreed, turning towards his friends, "As long as we're on a plain, we'll see danger coming. We should rest here before we enter the most dangerous part of the journey."

"The most dangerous part of the journey? Have you forgotten the  _destination_  of said journey?" Fandral asked with an amused smile.

Thor mirrored his smile, the excitement of the battles to come reassuring him more than leading troops.

The Crown Prince pulled at his horse's reins, bringing it to a stop. His companions followed suit and soon, the troops were stopped. Thor turned around to face his friends and the messengers.

"Spread the word that we are staying here tonight. Start putting up the tents; tell everyone to rest and gather their strength."

"Yes, Your Highness!" The different messengers exclaimed before spreading into the different factions of the troops.

"We'll go tell our own units right away," Fandral said, clacking his bridles. The three other warriors soon followed

Thor climbed down from his horse and sighed, looking back at the mountains they would enter the next day.

The message was spread quickly and soon enough, tents were starting appearing and some stable boy took Thor's horse away. The prince went into his tent and took a map of Jotunheim. No matter how many times he looked at it, he didn't seem to register anything from it and it annoyed him.

Thor heard someone joining him in the tent and glanced over his shoulder. He gave a thin smile at Sif, who was already back.

"Looking at this map everyday will not tell you where the Mountain Giants might hide," she said with an amused voice.

He couldn't help but chuckle, giving a little nod before looking back at the map.

"I know, but I hope I can think quickly with the map in my head. Loki would be so useful right now, he knows all maps by heart."

"Perhaps if you had gone to your lessons instead of sparring constantly, you would know as much as him about Jotunheim's geography," Sif replied, gently mocking.

Thor smiled before his face fell, showing his worry for his little brother.

"I wonder if he is all right… We know he escaped Utgard, but where is he?" He wondered out loud before clenching his fists, "Heimdall can't see him and Loki is somewhere in these mountains, trying to escape his enemies…"

Sif stared at the Crown Prince before talking:

"I'm sure he's all right. He's Loki, he's clever and tricky. He's probably hidden somewhere safe, or on his way to find you. Don't worry for him, Thor. He'll be fine…"

He smiled, looking away from the map a moment to look at the warrior next to him. She smiled back, her eyes shining gold from the fire illuminating the tent around them.

"Thor, what is it?" She asked, her face showing her worry for him, "You seem so nervous whereas you are always so excited when heading into battles…"

"I… I am. I am terribly nervous, not for the battles to come, but at the idea of leading the main troops."

"It's an honour, given to rare and powerful warriors," Sif said, not understanding his trouble.

"But it also comes with so many responsibilities. Everyone's lives and well-being must be decided according to  _my_  choices. If I fail, everyone dies and Asgard loses…" He murmured, feeling almost shy at opening his heart to Sif – but he knew that if someone could understand and listen to him, it'd be her.

Lips thinned in worry for her prince's well-being, Sif put a hand on his strong arm. It made him look back at her and she smiled to encourage him.

"You're right, but because you are aware of that, you will make the right choice when the time will come. I  _trust_  you, Thor, with my  _life_  – just like the Warriors Three and all of the soldiers. We follow you because we  _believe_  in you. So have faith in us as well, trust that  _we_  are making the right choice by following  _you_."

Thor's heart warmed and his beautiful eyes lit up as he smiled at the Lady by his side.

"Thank you, Lady Sif. For your concern, and your gentle words…" He murmured.

They stared at each other for a moment, smiling tenderly, before she gave a quick nod towards the entrance of the tent.

"Come, go talk with your troops. You'll give them spirit if they see you, and a walk is much better than staring at a map," she said, tugging lightly at his arm.

Thor followed Sif outside and discussed the next day's plan for a few minutes with some units' leaders. The Warriors Three joined Thor and Sif quickly, laughing about some incident that had happened involving a horse, two Einherjar and an unfortunate stable boy. The soldiers were laughing and drinking ale, encouraged by Thor walking among them. The troops knew this was their last night where they could relax and they were all enjoying these few minutes during which they could laugh and live at their fullest before heading into battles. Some soldiers were drawing on the face of one of their fellow warriors who had fallen asleep on the ground, making Thor smile again. Suddenly, they heard a booming sound from afar.

Everyone turned silent immediately, their heads towards the forest. The laughs and discussions faded as they observed the dark trees and the clouds slowly invading the sky. Some soldiers took their swords in hands, worry on their features.

A bright explosion of green light erupted far away, in the forest almost at the other side of the plain. The sound had been so intense that everyone jumped. Trees fell and green flames could be seen. Soldiers took their swords and took a defensive position; horses neighed and tried to escape from their attached reins.

"What is this?!" Fandral exclaimed, hand on his rapier.

"Mountain Giants?" Sif proposed, frowning.

"It's not an attack against us," Hogun commented quietly.

"It looked like magic!" Volstagg said, brows furrowed while even from this distance, they could sense the little electricity in the air that usually comes with seiðr.

They all looked back at Thor who swallowed hard, thinking immediately about his lost brother. He lifted up his arm and Mjollnir responded to his holder, magic charged the air, electricity sparkling. The mighty hammer flew from the tent where it had stayed and went right into Thor's hand, thunder resonating above their heads.

"I will go have a look! You stay here and maintain the troops in order! If I'm not back by the nightfall, send a message to the All Father, otherwise, don't come looking for me!" He ordered, swinging his hammer in his hand with increasing speed.

"Thor! Wait!" Sif exclaimed.

But he didn't listen and threw his arm in the air, jumping off the ground and flying towards the explosion. Everyone had to take a step back to avoid getting hit by the powerful air-blast.

"Thor!" Fandral called desperately.

The troops started talking, but they had no choice but to follow Thor's orders.

The God of Thunder, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes away from his objective: the fallen trees and green flames. His mother and brother were both seiðr user and even  _he_  had a powerful magic with his storms and thunder. He could recognize magic anywhere, and he could recognize his brother's magical print. This explosion had been made by Loki – probably in response to danger.

When Thor arrived towards the fallen and burning trees, he landed almost gracefully, looking around at the destroyed forest. He frowned, wondering what might have happened but then, he caught a dark silhouette on the ground. His heart missed a beat and his eyes widened.

"Brother!" He called, running to Loki.

Thor turned his brother around, hearing him moan – which reassured the Thunder God until he saw the blood gushing from the wound, his heart sinking.

"Loki!" He screamed, shaking him lightly but his brother's face was pale and sweaty.

Knowing that his brother was badly injured and exhausted and recognizing the signs of poison, Thor took his brother in his arms quickly before rapidly swinging Mjollnir. Soon enough, he had jumped out of the forest, keeping his little brother close to him.

* * *

_Sooo... You know who is the spy. Surpriiiiiiise! :D_

_I can't wait to hear your thoughts about this chapter! :D_

_NEXT CHAPTER : TRAP_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	22. Trap

_Sorry for being late but I have finales coming so I'll be very busy, that's why I won't post until around Christmas._

_Thanks you to all who kudoed and booked! :D_

* * *

FANFICTION 

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF 

CHAPTER XXII : Trap 

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. After going through the Crossway and facing his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories they infiltrate the fortress of Utgard, they find out that the Giants want war more than ever and after killing the Mountain Giants' Prince, they escape. Odin and Fornjótr both prepare themselves for the battle to come. Loki and Eisa get rid of Hyrokkin and_ _scape her Iron Woods. He is about to join Thor and the Asgardian troops when Eisa reveals her betrayal: she is the spy.]_

_Loki laughed when Thor fell onto the ground loudly. He had just stepped nonchalantly on the brand new red cape his brother kept wearing around, showing off to everyone how mighty he looked with it. And he had fallen with grace and beauty._

" _Loki!" Thor exclaimed, getting up and tossing off the cape that had fallen onto his shoulder._

_He frowned at his little brother but the latter was laughing so much he was bent double, holding his stomach, and soon enough, the eldest was laughing as well – no one had seen him falling except Loki and Frigga, who was shaking lightly her head with a soft smile._

" _Come here, you little prankster!" Thor exclaimed, grabbing his brother and ruffling his raven hair._

" _Wah! S-stop! T-Thor!" Loki hiccupped, laughing too hard to focus on his words._

_Thor then started tickling him. The youngest wriggling around, both still laughing._

_Suddenly, a shadow fell on them and they froze, all joy and giggles fading away. They looked up and straightened up, staring warily at the All Father, who looked down at them with his cold eye._

" _What are you doing?" He asked._

" _We're just having fun, father…" Loki answered, sounding hesitant._

" _Stop playing those pranks, Loki. And you, Thor, stop wearing this cape everywhere you go – it's ridiculous. I think it's time you understand that you are Princes of Asgard."_

" _Yes, father…" They both mumbled in low voices._

 _No sooner had Odin turned away from them,_   _and begun to walk away – Loki and Thor were hiding behind a pillar. The trickster moved slightly his hand and the spear of the guard walking by suddenly turned into a snake. He screamed and let go of it while the two princes laughed at his face._

" _Thor!"_

_They turned around towards the Warriors Three and Lady Sif, younger but still grinning at the Crown Prince._

" _Thor! Come with us!" Volstagg exclaimed._

" _Where?" Loki asked, looking up at his brother, who grinned back at them._

" _Let's have fun!" Fandral exclaimed._

" _Thor, wait–" Loki started before Thor ran off, laughing with his friends._

_Loki tried to follow him, running as fast as he could, but Thor was taller, stronger and faster than him._

" _E-everyone! Wait for me!" The youngest prince exclaimed._

_Loki tripped and fell face-first on the ground, but when he looked up, there wasn't anyone anymore. Loki blinked away his tears, realizing that his brother went to have fun with other people – they were strong warriors, like him, whereas Loki was so different from Thor; he was so disappointing for everyone._

_Loki got up, standing in the darkness and looked down at his hands before moving them around, the green light of his seiðr illuminating his face and his surroundings. The magical energy created silhouettes of people and animals, jumping and running around him. He smiled, then laughed as a child of his age made of seiðr held out his hand to him. Loki was about to take it when his seiðr suddenly burst into flames. He screamed and held his arms in front of his face, sensing the fire surrounding him, hearing screams of distress and pain before realizing that it was his own voice – but it didn't come out of his mouth, it came from all around him._

" _Loki?"_

_He looked up and realized flames didn't surround him anymore. He was in his mother's gardens. He turned around and saw Frigga, approaching him with a tender smile, holding beautiful flowers in her arms._

" _Mother!" Loki exclaimed, running to her._

" _I've heard you did very well on your test about Jotunheim yesterday, Loki. It's almost as if it was natural for you!" She said happily before holding out the flowers, "Here's a gift for you."_

_Loki grinned, proud to have had good results when he knew Thor hadn't done as well as him on this test. He froze suddenly, his fingers inches away from the flowers._

" _This smell…" He murmured, his heart tightening in his chest._

" _What smell?" Frigga asked with a gentle voice._

" _Hyacinths, it smells of hyacinths," Loki answered in a trembling voice._

 _He stared at the flowers, suddenly realizing th_ _ey_ _were hyacinths. His heart missed a beat and he took a step backwards, wanting to be as far away from these flowers as possible._

" _Loki?" Frigga called worriedly._

_The flowers suddenly burst into green flames and Loki tried to step away but his feet fell into emptiness before he gasped for air._

Loki was lying in bed and breathing with difficulty.

"Brother!"

Loki's gaze went blurry and he blinked, trying to move but unable to. His muscles ached, his entire body was screaming in pain and his head was foggy. He had a terrible taste in his mouth and the smell of hyacinths was still surrounding him.

"Brother?"

Loki looked up and noticed that the ceiling was the inside of a tent. His watery green eyes looked at his brother who was hovering over him, a silly, relieved grin on his face.

"Brother, finally you are awake!" Thor exclaimed.

Loki swallowed the taste in his mouth and the sobs strangling him. His vision went blurry and he thought it was from exhaustion before realizing these were tears. He turned his head away and closed his eyes tightly, not wanting any tears to roll down his cheek. His heart was beating warmly in his chest, wishing it wasn't a dream, but the pain was too real and Thor's presence electric. Loki was back with his family.

"Brother – I'll go call a healer! I'll be back soon!" The blond haired warrior exclaimed.

Loki wanted to protest, but his brother had already left the tent, leaving him alone once again. His heart sank at the realisation, but he tried to focus on staying awake. He slowly recalled what had happened last time he had been awake: he had fought against Eisa – no,  _Angrboda_. She was the spy. She was the one responsible for everything that had happened.

Loki's lips trembled before he clenched his jaw and fists. He did not wish to feel so many emotions, but it was too much for his heart. It felt like a tsunami was hitting him. If anger and fury at having played had been his main emotions at hearing the truth, now sadness, shame and betrayal were invading him. Loki had been foolish enough to listen to her words, to  _believe_  everything she had said. He had been played and he had fallen right into her trap. He should have  _never_  trusted her. He shouldn't have let her around. Loki should have finished his mission  _alone_.

Air could barely reach his lungs and he moaned, closing his eyes again at this aching feeling crushing his heart and biting his lower lip. His ragged breath made his body hurt even more, but he could barely feel it because of his heart. His heart was so heavy, hurt, cold and dark.

Loki felt hands on his body and he jumped, opening panicked eyes and seeing Thor through a blurry gaze, lighted by the fire from the torches all around the tent. Loki noticed another figure next to his brother, who was touching his body. The youngest prince lifted up his hand to push him away before sensing the tickling warmth of Healing Stones. Loki looked down at his chest, covered in bandages and Healing Stones posed on him in various places.

"Calm down, brother, we're taking care of you," Thor said with a smile, lightly tapping his brother's arm who let it down, feeling a little reassured.

"He should sleep," the healer said before turning around.

"W-what happened…?" Loki asked hoarsely– he couldn't recognize his own voice.

"We'll talk later, brother, now you should sleep," Thor said.

The healer ignored Loki's weak protests and forced him to drink some liquid. He fought against sleep but his eyelids became heavy and he fell into complete darkness. It was so familiar for him now that it felt like home.

When Loki woke up again from a restless, dreamless sleep, his eyes were blinded by the sunlight and he moaned. He could hear the familiar sound of horses' hooves walking on a rocky ground. Loki's body was held down on some sort of stretcher in the back of a cart.

"Your Highness?"

The voice sounded far and close in the same time, resonating in his head as the young prince tried to look around.

"Your Highness, please be care–"

Loki had ignored the healer's voice and had tried to get up, only to hiss when a stinging, burning pain struck through his body, making him fall back on his stretcher with a trembling, weak body.

"I said to be careful! You'll open your wounds again!" The healer scolded, attending to the prince who glared at the man, annoyed to be in such a pitiful state.

"W-what happened?" Loki asked, forcing his anger to cool down.

He blinked at hearing his weak voice. Immediately after, the healer was bringing him water, forcing Loki to drink it all before helping the prince to sit up. Loki gritted his teeth but ignored his body throbbing from pain as he looked around, lips parting slightly in astonishment. He was on a cart that was travelling on a little rocky road between two cliffs. In front and behind him were powerful Asgardian horses pulling more carts. As he turned his head around, Loki saw many soldiers walking. Their golden armour was blinding under the sunlight and their steps were echoing the horses', the sounds advancing army resonating dangerously in the mountains.

"You were found by your brother, Your Highness. You were badly wounded and–"

"How long was I unconscious?" Loki cut, turning sharply towards the healer.

Loki gritted his teeth as an electrifying ache shot through his torso. He remembered waking up with Thor at his side, trying to warn his brother of the truth before the healer had forced him back to sleep. Eisa – no,  _Angrboda_  – was the spy who had lured them all into this war against Jotunheim –  _all_  of Jotunheim, not just the Mountain Giants.

"Two days and–"

"I need to see my brother, where is he?" Loki asked, trying to move towards the edge of the cart.

"Your Highness, it's not safe for you to move so much like that!" The healer warned, grabbing the prince's arm and trying to hide his annoyance at taking care of such an impatient prince.

"I don't have time for that! Take me to my brother right now!" Loki ordered, glaring at the healer and pulling his arm away from the other man's grip.

His voice had risen much higher than he intended and many soldiers turned around to glance at their prince.

The Healer tried to speak again when a running horse arrived at the same level as the cart.

"Loki!"

Loki looked up, a little bewildered, at Sif who was on her horse, looking down at him. She eyed him warily a moment before pulling at her horse's reins so he would trot alongside the cart.

"You're awake,  _at_   _last_." Sif commented, her green eyes looking right into his.

"Take me to Thor – I need to talk to him right away!" Loki exclaimed.

"Calm down, your wounds will open again," she said.

"I don't have time for–"

" _And_  you should be reminded that the troops would not want of a wounded Prince disturbing and worrying them more than necessary," Sif cut in, her tone sharp and her eyes dangerous.

Loki glared at her before glancing around. The soldiers were staring at him with worried expressions – but it wasn't worry for their Prince's health. It was the worry and fear that his panicked reaction had caused. They could understand that he knew something they didn't and they were already wary of this passage in the middle of the Mountain Giants' territory.

"Sif," Loki hissed turning his gaze back to her and lowering his voice so she would be the only one hearing, "I have information about the Jotunns. I need to warn Thor and the All Father right away."

Sif stared at him, his burning watery eyes looking back at her with defiance. Understanding that he was more than serious about this, she gave a quick nod before snapping her reins, her horse galloping away and disappearing quickly.

The Healer changed Loki's bandages, applying some cream to his injury. It was looking very bad. Loki could still feel the pain in his back from Eisa's –  _Angrboda's_  — first attack, two days ago, and his fresh wound in the front of his torso was particularly painful. It was gushing red and still bloody (despite his fast-healing Asgardian body), his skin purple and dark all around the wound.

"The dagger was covered in hyacinth poison, the same poison that was used to attack your older brother a few weeks ago," the Healer started, "It's slowing down the healing process and causing side effects hard to treat in such conditions."

Loki only half listened, the pain of his body dull compared to his heart. He was more awake and alert than the last time he had awakened, but his heart still felt heavy with sorrow and hatred. " _Bringer of Sorrow_ " Angrboda could not carry a better name… Loki felt a bitter taste in his mouth, clenching his fists until his joints turned white and he shook in anger, not believing he had been foolish enough to fall into her trap.

The cart suddenly stopped and when Loki looked up, he realized the whole army had ceased marching, most soldiers falling on rocks to sit and drink. He didn't have to wait much longer for Sif to come back with a second horse for him.

"I hope you are well enough to ride," she said as Loki finished putting a green tunic on over his bandages, helped by the Healer.

"Don't underestimate me," he growled before jumping down from the cart.

Loki wavered as he landed and had to catch himself on the cart, a hand coming to his dizzy head. Sif raised an eyebrow at that and the Healer looked pale, not wishing for his patient to go riding a horse so quick –  _especially_  when said patient was the Prince of Asgard. Loki glared at them and straightened his back, ignoring the stinging sensation of his injuries as he walked firmly towards the horse and climbed on it.

Sif didn't say a word and turned her horse, trotting to the front of the army. Loki, followed closely, jeering his fists clenched around the reins and his teeth gritted from pain, hiding it completely.

Chairs had been installed in the shadows of some rocks at the head of the army. Loki's heart missed a beat when he saw Thor, drinking ale and laughing at some joke Fandral had just told. The Warriors Three were with him and as Loki and Sif approached, they looked up. The blond-haired prince got up immediately.

"Loki! Brother, how do you feel?" Thor asked as the youngest put his feet on the ground, holding onto his horse a little longer than necessary.

Thor, whose brows furrowed, his smile disappearing as he became more serious, immediately noticed it.

"Brother, you have many things to tell me. Finding you injured in these woods was terrible. What happened to you since you left Asgard?"

"Where is Father?" Loki asked instead of answering, "I have things to tell him concerning this war."

Thor observed him a moment, knowing Loki had avoided giving him answers by changing the subject. Thor finally answered, his blue eyes staring right into his brother's green ones:

"Father isn't here."

It took a moment for Loki to comprehend the meaning of these words. He stared at Thor in disbelief, eyes widening slightly in apprehension of what happened when he was in Jotunheim.

"What do you mean?" He asked in a low voice to make sure no one else would hear.

"Father isn't here, he isn't with us to fight," Thor repeated patiently.

Loki's lips parted in shock, many theories of what kind of truth could possibly lie behind his brother's words starting to run through his mind. The memory of the Labyrinth's vision of his father came back haunting him: pale, his one good eye closed, cursed by the Odinsleep.

" _No, Loki."_

The raven-haired man wavered suddenly. He did not know if it was because of the memories darkening his heart or the poison weakening his body. Thor's arm immediately grabbed his brother's shoulder, holding him up. He frowned worriedly.

"Brother? Are you all right?" Thor asked with a tense voice.

"F-father is… is he…?" Loki stammered, eyes widened in shock and fear.

" _Do you know that the Crossroad isn't only a crossway between all Worlds, but also time? Everything you lived there… You have yet to see it."_  Angrboda had said.

"Father is safe and sound, not to worry." Thor reassured him with a smile and a tap on his brother's shoulder.

Loki looked up, almost hesitant, upon hearing these words. For a short moment, he had had the feeling that Angrboda was watching them and was laughing at him for realizing that the Crossroad was a crossway in time. He hadn't wanted to believe her when she had said that. What if it was true? What if everything he had seen in those nightmarish visions turned out to be the truth, yet to happen?

His body shook and he swallowed hard, his broken, hurt family coming back as vivid images in his head. He had seen himself, his own reflection but it had been a twisted version of him. It had been a monster. Would he become a monster? Would his father, brother and mother be hurt, or worse –  _die?_  Would he be the one  _responsible_  for their fate?

"Loki?"

The youngest prince looked up, staring at his brother a little dumbfounded, feeling out of place and uncomfortable. Loki almost felt like he was back into the Labyrinth, seeing such vivid, realistic visions but having this gut feeling none of it was true. Or maybe, Loki had just changed so much in so little time that he couldn't recognise his own brother.

"Come, you must be tired after riding this horse!" Thor exclaimed, clapping him on the back so hard, Loki almost fell forward.

He glared at his brother, partly for underestimating him so much, and partly for hitting him carelessly when he was already hurt. He followed Thor anyway and sat on a chair, the Warriors Three grinning at him. Sif stayed a few steps behind, listening to their words but staying alert.

"Finally back from Hel, Loki?" Fandral asked with a laugh.

"It's good to see you again on your own two feet!" Volstagg added, tapping the raven-haired man's shoulder enthusiastically.

Loki stared at them, blinking in astonishment to see them  _relieved_  to know him safe and sound – as safe and sound as they could possibly be in Jotunn territory during a war. He hasn't expected them to bat an eye at his injuries, he had expected them to look down at him and mock him – as they usually do when he lost a spar or was hurt in some way.

"Surely, your adventures will be great stories to tell during parties!" The massive man exclaimed before laughing, forcing a cup of ale into Loki's hand.

The young prince stared at the glistening liquid, not quite knowing what to do with it. After a moment, he looked up back at Thor, ignoring completely ignoring the smiles that faded away from the Warriors Three's faces at seeing his serious and bitter expression.

"Where is the All Father, Thor?" Loki asked coldly.

The blond-haired prince blinked, uneasy at hearing such a tone from his brother. He recalled that Loki had been sent on a dangerous mission in enemy territory and if his pale face and injuries weren't enough proof, seeing his eyes was more than enough for Thor to know that Loki had been through a lot. The green eyes he was so familiar with looked so different, so cold and sharp, Loki's expression so hard and his body so tense. Whatever hardships he had gone through, his brother was changed. He was different and Thor wasn't sure how to act with this new disposition. The only thing he knew was that he had to be here for his brother, to help him go back to his old self and it would be by acting as natural as possible.

"Father remained in Asgard for the time being," Thor answered with his arms crossed casually.

"Then who is leading the troops? Týr?" Loki asked, frowning slightly at the idea of going into a war without his father – plus, if  _anyone_  had to be here, it was the King.

"I am," Thor answered with a proud, broad smile.

Loki's heart missed a beat and his eyes darkened a moment.

"What?" He said angrily, glaring at his brother without realizing it.

"I am leading the troops," Thor repeated, his smile less enthusiastic after his brother's reaction.

Loki looked at the Warriors Three and Sif, expecting them to burst out laughing at the obvious joke Thor had just told. When they stared back at him defiantly, Loki's heart sank, realizing Thor wasn't joking.

"You can't be serious," Loki started, shaking slightly his head, "Father wouldn't let  _you,_  who has  _no experience_  in leadership, lead the troops into such an important and massive war against Jotunheim! He needs someone experienced in leadership!" Loki exclaimed.

"And  _who_  would be a better choice?  _You_ , perhaps?" Fandral asked, laughing at the idea.

Loki got up so suddenly his chair fell backwards. Fandral's smile faded away while the youngest prince took a step forward, looking feral and dangerous.

" _Perhaps_  I am!" He hissed.

"Watch your tongue, prankster!" Sif exclaimed, standing next to Fandral and glaring at the youngest prince more defiantly than the philanderer.

"Don't think you can give me any orders, woman!" He cried, his fists clenching in anger.

"And don't think  _you_  can give me orders when you have been injured and useless, causing nothing but a war!" She replied fiercely, stepping towards him as well.

Thor grabbed their shoulders, pushing them away from each other and frowning at all of his companions.

" _Enough!_  All of you!" He exclaimed, loud enough that some soldiers turned their heads towards them.

Thor glared at his friends before letting go of their shoulders, once he was sure they wouldn't try to rip each other's throats out.

" _Now_  is  _not_  a moment for arguments! Don't shame me by behaving in such ways!" He exclaimed before focusing onto his brother, "Father has a plan – which is why I am leading the troops."

" _What_  plan?" Loki asked, tilting his head in disbelief.

"I don't know," Thor admitted with a little shrug.

"You DON'T know?!" His brother shouted, stepping towards him, "You don't know the All Father's plan but still follow it  _blindly?!_  This is the most foolish thing in the history of imbecilic decisions you have  _ever_  done, you oaf!"

"Loki! As Lady Sif said:  _watch your tongue!"_  Thor growled, glaring at him dangerously, "I won't let you insult me for trusting our father!"

"This isn't trust, this is stupidity!"

"He has a plan and I can't know of it for reasons! If he kept his plan secret, then surely he has some way to assure our victory against those Mountain Giants!"

" _You_  are leading the  _main troops of Asgard_  when you have NO experience in leading entire armies into battle!  _You_  are going through one of the  _most dangerous_  and tricky path of Jotunheim! How is this insuring any sort of victory?"

Thor, the Warriors Three and Sif stared in disbelief at Loki, shaken by his outburst and shouting. The youngest prince was usually so calm and composed – the complete opposite of his brother. Now, Loki was red faced from anger and annoyance, his face scratched and bruised by his journey into Jotunheim. His entire body was shaking, from rage and the poison. His fists were clenched violently and his eyes were wide and blood-shot. His breathing was ragged and his raven hair messier than ever. He looked like a feral beast.

"Brother…" Thor started hesitantly, frowning lightly, "What happened to you?" He asked in a low voice.

Loki's watery green eyes widened even more and he finally realized why they were looking at him so warily. He glanced at the four warriors, who were tense, keeping their hands on their weapons suspiciously, ready to attack him if he were to turn violent. Then he looked back at his brother, who was staring at him with sad, confused eyes, not understanding what had happened to his baby brother to turn him into such an unbalanced and upset man. None of them recognised the youngest prince – and Loki suddenly realized with dread that he wouldn't have been able to recognise himself either. As in the labyrinth, he was staring at a dark reflection of himself, mirroring his deepest wounds.

Loki swallowed, but none noticed it. He took a step backwards, feeling weak and small under these proud warriors. He forced himself to breathe and relax his entire body, despite the panicked beating of his heart. Then he spoke up again, sounding much calmer than before:

"How could the All Father, with his  _mighty plan of his_ , possibly consider this a  _way_  to lead us into  _victory?_  How  _could_  he when he  _doesn't know everything?_  This war isn't against the Mountain Giants, it's against  _all_  of Jotunheim!" Loki exclaimed, his face hard from rage.

Thor's lips parted in shock and disbelief before laughing weakly, suddenly uncomfortable, his heart hammering against his chest in hollow fear.

"What?" He murmured, shaking his head slightly.

"Don't be ridiculous, Loki, the declaration of war was sent by King Fornjótr, the King of Mountain Giants," Fandral said, more tense as well upon hearing the prince's declaration.

Loki turned sharply towards him, his fists clenched in disbelief at hearing such words. Why could they not listen to him for  _once?_

" _This_  is what I was sent for! To gain information about the Mountain Giants  _and_  this war! And I am telling you what I know: King Fornjótr united all of Jotunheim to go to war against us!"

Loki turned back towards Thor, who paled quickly.

"This war isn't between the Mountain Giants and Asgardians. This is between Jotunheim and Asgard, Thor. The Jotunn forces and troops are much stronger and bigger than the All Father knows! His  _plan_  will  _fail!_ "

Slowly realizing what it meant, Thor swallowed hard. The Warriors Three and Sif realized it all as well before the maiden warrior turned towards the Crown Prince.

"Thor, you  _must_  warn the All Father. He must take into consideration this information!" She said vividly.

"Let's send a messenger to the All Father right away!" Fandral added.

"I…" Thor started.

They all stared at him, waiting for his instructions but he only looked at Loki, panic of realization shining in his blue eyes. Only his younger brother seemed to notice it.

"I don't know how… Father said he'd tell me more after we arrived at the Plains of Sigrún – I don't know how to contact him, he was supposed to be the one contacting me…" Thor murmured worriedly.

"Then we are in serious danger here if the Jotunns are more numerous than we initially thought," Hogun said, his dark eyes staring at Thor.

"You think I don't know that?!" The latter hissed, suddenly angry at himself for blindly following his father's orders – Loki was right, he should have been more careful.

"Going backwards would take us two more days, then reaching the Plains of Sigrún would take at least a  _week_  – the troops will not be in shape for battle at this point and we could be attacked at any moment." Volstagg said, brows furrowed in concern.

Thor and Loki shared a gaze that mirrored the same feelings: worry and fear – for the Asgardian troops, the victory of Asgard, their own sake but also their father's. Who knew where he was and what he was doing? If the All Father didn't know about the number of enemies, his plan would fail, and he would be in danger. It wasn't just about Thor and the main troops, but about  _all_  of Asgard's safety.

Suddenly, a hissing sound passed right between them. They looked down at the arrow that had just landed between them, all of them paling at the realisation of what was happening.

"TAKE COVER!" Thor shouted as loud as possible, turning towards the still resting troops.

His voice was drowned by the hissing sound of thousands of arrows flying above their heads. They were under attack, trapped in the mountains.

* * *

_So, next chapter for Saturday December 26th! A long time and a cliffhanger and I'm sorry, but... finales... T.T_

_NEXT CHAPTER : THE BATTLE OF THE RED CLIFFS_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


	23. The Battle of the Red Cliffs

_Sorry for being late, but I was so tired during the holidays, it took me a while to be able to do anything at all. I hope you'll still enjoy this chapter! :)_

 

_Thank you to all who commented, booked and followed! :D_

* * *

FANFICTION

THE RISE OF LOKI, GOD OF MISCHIEF

CHAPTER XXIII : The Battle of the Red Cliffs

_[Loki is sent spying on Jotunheim to find out the truth about the threat of war against the Mountain Giants. Teaming up with a seiðr user, Eisa, she tells him something is following him since his arrival in Jotunheim. After going through the Crossway and facing his worst fears, deepest wounds and memories they infiltrate the fortress of Utgard, they find out that the Giants want war more than ever and after killing the Mountain Giants' Prince, they escape. Odin and Fornjótr both prepare themselves for the battle to come._ _After escaping Hyrokkin, Loki learns that the spy is Eisa. He is found injured by Thor but at his waking, Loki and Thor realize that the All-Father doesn't know what to expect from the Jotunn army right when a trap is triggered.]_

They looked down at the arrow that had just landed on the ground, everyone paling as they realized of what was happening.

"TAKE COVER!" Thor shouted as loudly as possible, turning towards the still resting troops.

His voice was drowned out by the hissing of thousands of arrows flying above their heads. They were under attack, trapped in the mountains. Immediately they heard the gasps and screams of pain from the soldiers as arrows hit them, their bodies falling on the ground with the clang of armour striking soil. The fastest warriors took their shields and lifted them up to protect their bodies but several still got hit from behind. The arrows were coming from everywhere. They were surrounded.

Thor lifted his hand, the power of Mjollnir vibrating before it flew into his grasp. The Crown Prince screamed in rage then flew off. He lifted up his arm, electricity sparkling around the hammer before he threw it down against the cliff, thunder falling down. It resonated through the whole mountain, a cloud of dust rising around the top of the cliff. Then they heard the rumbling of falling rocks mixed with screams of pain. Massive blocs fell from the cliff, landing close to the Asgardian troops, who tried to move away as far as possible. Many bodies of dead Mountain Giants were scattered in the middle of the rocks as Thor landed among his soldiers, shouting orders.

"SHIELDS UP!" He yelled.

He interrupted an arrow mid-flight with Mjollnir destroying it into splinters.

The soldiers moved quickly, trying to form ranks, lifting up their shields above their heads. Quickly, most troops were protected under or behind their shields, forming a giant shield around them.

Loki, the Warriors Three and Sif had observed Thor's actions and decisions from afar. The Maiden Warrior looked up in the mountains to locate the archers, but the trees and pines were more numerous than anywhere else in the mountains – which is probably why the giants hid there. Plus, the cloud of dust was making it impossible to see.

"What an idiot!" Loki grunted between his teeth, cursing Thor for making the task even more complicated.

"This isn't helping, Loki!" Fandral exclaimed.

"Respect your brother!" Volstagg added, lifting up his shield just before an arrow hit it.

The prince glared at him but didn't answer when an arrow hit the shield Sif had lifted up in front of Loki's face before it could kill him. He stared at her in disbelief but she kept her expression focus.

"We need to stay focus on the enemy. Stop fooling around!" she exclaimed to all of them.

"We need to take down the archers," Hogun said.

Sif nodded before turning her attention to Thor, who kept flying from one part of the cliff to another, destroying Mountain Giants.

"Thor!" she called.

He didn't seem to have heard anything, but after a short moment during which he grabbed three Mountain Giants he threw down to the ground, the Crown Prince flew back to his friends.

"We need to take down the archers before they decimate us all!" Fandral exclaimed.

"I agree, then we should split up and go up to–"

A deep rumbling suddenly echoed through the mountains, interrupting him. The group turned their heads upwards, from where the sounds were coming. The arrows suddenly stopped, proving that it wasn't coming from the Mountain Giants. Some soldiers looked up from behind their shields, everyone falling silent and wondering what was happening.

Then a colourful flash of light erupted on their right, hitting the ledge above the cliff. They heard a scream of rage as more troops they couldn't see from down in the ravine ran forward, right towards the Mountain Giants. The screams of agony resonated as some desperate Mountain Giants jumped off the cliff – towards a certain death but one they had chosen. On their left, the Bifröst beamed again, turning some trees into dust. The same battle cries sounded, all Jotunn archers trying to run away in vain.

"AHAH!" Thor exclaimed, hitting strongly Loki's shoulder.

The younger prince almost fell over from the slap and he felt his wound open again, a bitter-sweet taste invading his mouth as he threw a hard look at his brother that didn't escape Sif's vigilant gaze.

"I _told_ you the All Father had a plan!" Thor continued.

Soon enough, the Asgardian troops that had come to the rescue had cornered every Mountain Giant and were killing them off either by pushing them off the cliff or by piercing them through. The cliffs were turning crimson from all the blood flowing down.

"Look!" Fandral exclaimed, pointing his sword at the top of a cliff.

They looked up and saw Orvar, on his horse, smiling and nodding at them.

"Orvar! The All Father _did_ have a plan! He outsmarted the Mountain Giants!" Volstagg exclaimed as the last enemies were being taken prisoner.

Orvar pulled at his horse's reins while the new-coming troops carefully walked down the mountain paths to join the rest of the troops. Odin's general soon joined the princes and elite warriors.

"Orvar! How happy we are to see you!" Volstagg exclaimed, opening his arms and tackling the general into a forced hug.

"I'm happy to know you all safe and sound too – but you're strangling me!" Orvar said.

Volstagg laughed but let go of Orvar, hitting him on the shoulder to share his enthusiasm. The young general smiled at the group, eyes landing on Loki before his smile grew slightly wider.

"Prince Loki, we thought you dead!"

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Don't say such things, brother! It is a victory to celebrate!" Thor exclaimed, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder, "Our father _did_ have a wise plan and we eliminated the Jotunn threat!"

Loki suddenly pulled away, slapping the back of his brother's hand. Thor blinked at Loki, not understanding why he would react so vehemently. Their friends fell silent, staring worriedly at the two princes.

"A _victory?!_ The war isn't over, Thor!" Loki hissed before turning so suddenly towards Orvar that he started. "I need to speak to the All Father right away! Where is he?!"

"Loki, calm down," Fandral started, but the prince ignored him.

"The All Father can't be joining the war at the moment, but I am sure that whatever message you need to share with him can wait and–"

"No! It CAN'T wait! Why is it _so hard_ to listen to me?!" Loki yelled.

Thor looked down, frowning. The Warrior Three and Lady Sif's expressions darkened, suddenly remembering the dreadful information Loki had shared with them before the attack.

Orvar swallowed but kept staring at the younger prince who continued, taking a step forward:

"If you have a messenger, you should send this message to the All Father: the war isn't solely against the Mountain Giants, but _all_ of Jotunheim is leagued against us!"

The general's eyes grew wider before he frowned.

"What makes you think so, Your Highness?" he asked.

Loki was considering throttling him when Thor, sensing his anger and impatience, put a strong hand onto his shoulder and stepped forward.

"Believe my brother's words; he executed the mission he was sent for. Everything he says is true. The All Father needs to know this as soon as possible."

Orvar observed them a moment before nodding quickly.

"Heimdall is watching us right now, the message has probably already been given to the All Father – as well as news of our little victory. We may not have won the war yet, but the Mountain Giants' archers have been mostly annihilated. The few prisoners are being interrogated as we speak."

"Did the All Father send you? What are his orders?" Thor asked.

The general looked at the blond-haired man a short moment before speaking:

"What were yours?"

The confused look on the Crown Prince's face made Orvar sigh deeply before he continued:

"Unfortunately, he gave only a tiny part of his plan, we don't know what he is planning. We only know our missions. He had planned this attack on the Mountain Giants – which is the reason why he sent you to lead the main troops through these cursed mountains. He had hoped the Jotunns would try to trap the Asgardians on their way here and had outwitted them."

"But at what price?" Loki asked before sending a glance at the injured soldiers. "How many have already perished before even reaching the Plains of Sigrún?"

He paused, staring at his brother before speaking again:

"The All Father may be wise, and he may know how to win a war, but he doesn't know _everything_. He used us all as tools to trap the Mountain Giants – and only a _few_ of them! The real battle is coming and we will be outnumbered!"

"The All Father didn't know all of Jotunheim would be the enemy – so _yes_ , in the battlefield, we will be outnumbered after this sacrifice that could have been avoided," Sif said darkly, thinking about the families that were now broken forever because of this war.

Thor lowered his head, guilt washing over him. If he had thought more deeply about the path they were following, he could have opposed his father to avoid such a risk. Instead, he had blindly followed his orders, confident that his father was the _All Father_.

Orvar stared mostly at Loki when he spoke:

"The price, Prince Loki, is the same as in all wars: sacrifice. Many died today, and many more will, but we will keep fighting for Asgard. It is our duty," he said firmly.

"Sir!"

They turned towards the Einheri that had just arrived, standing a few meters away from his princes and the bravest warriors of Asgard.

"What is it?" Orvar asked, frowning.

"We have counted the dead and injured from both sides, sir!" the Einheri exclaimed.

"Share it with us then," Fandral said hurriedly.

The young soldier looked down at the paper in his hand, reading out loud the information.

"The Mountain Giants have three hundred and seventy-eight killed and twenty kept prisoner."

He paused, swallowing before announcing the other numbers.

"As for the Asgardian troops that departed under your lead, Your Highness…" he started, glancing at Thor before continuing, "One-hundred and seventeen archers offered their lives for Asgard and ninety-six were injured. The infantry lost three hundred and eighty-nine soldiers and… six hundred and seventy-three were badly injured… The cavalry is intact; they were at the back of the troops…"

He sighed deeply before lowering his paper, looking straight ahead at the princes and warriors.

"The total number of loss and casualties is of one thousand and two hundred seventy-five… Your Highness…"

Thor's lips parted in shock, his face pale. Loki clenched his jaw while Orvar, the Warriors Three and Sif lowered their heads. The crown prince turned around, his heart heavy from this enormous loss. The battle had not lasted more than a few minutes and they had been saved by Orvar's troops. " _The price is the same as in all wars: sacrifice,_ " he had said just a moment ago. Thor had fought many battles, but he had never led troops this numerous, and he had never faced such loss.

"You may go," Orvar finally said to the Einheri, who bowed quickly to the princes before walking away.

"Our archers have been wiped out…" Fandral murmured, eyes shining with tears he didn't want to shed.

"At least, the cavalry troops are complete…" Volstagg added with a forced smile, trying to stay positive.

"It's four times the Jotunn losses…" Loki murmured, fists clenched in rage.

" _I've been using Fornjótr to attack Asgard."_

" _Of course, if Odin, or Thor, or any of your 'friends' were to die during this war… It'd just be a bonus."_

Eisa – _no,_ _Angrboda_ , and Heiðr, were behind this war. They were the reason why so many Asgardians were lying dead in the dust.

He looked up, a feral light in his eyes. His gaze met Thor's unreadable one.

" _I won't let you insult me for trusting our father!"_

They stared at each other for a moment, intense electricity sparkling in the air, as if Thor knew what Loki was thinking about and that Loki was aware of Thor's knowledge of his thoughts. The silent accusation was obvious and everyone else swallowed nervously.

" _Trust_ , uh?" Loki spat at his brother who frowned.

"Brother, our father had a _plan_ and–"

"A plan that involved killing _thousands_ of us! But this is war, isn't it?" Loki continued bitterly, turning towards Orvar. "Sacrifices, deaths, duty, following orders blindly. War makes fools of us."

For a short moment, the brown-haired general stared coldly at the younger prince before taking a deep breath.

"This is war."

"The Mountain Giants are responsible for all this, and tearing ourselves apart will gain us nothing, Loki," Volstagg said.

"We are all shaken by our friends who died in a trap," Sif added.

Loki stared at them without a word. He clenched his fists then turned around sharply.

"You don't know who the real enemy is…" he whispered under his breath, so low that only Thor perceived his words. He frowned, but before he could ask anything of his brother, the latter looked over his shoulder at the blond-haired prince.

"But it is a small victory, isn't it? Let's _celebrate_ …" he mocked.

Thor's frown deepened, clenching his fists in anger and pain so that his brother wouldn't understand that he was feeling guilty already. Guilty and shaken. Nothing could have prepared _any_ of them for such a loss, and especially not so soon before the actual battle. Even blinded by loss and rage, Thor still considered his brother's strange behavior. Of course he would curse that so many warriors lost their lives in a trap set up by their father, but Thor knew his brother well enough to understand that there was more behind this cold anger than the love for his people. Thor felt as if his brother were a stranger. As if he had lost his brother among these soldiers. As if Loki had lost himself…

Loki was walking away at a steady pace, needing to get away from everyone.

"What happened to him during his mission? He's even moodier than he used to…" Volstagg grumbled.

Sif glanced at Thor, knowing that if one of them would know Loki enough, it would be him.

As soon as the Crown Prince felt people's attention drawing back to him rather than his brother, he shook away all emotions other than a renewed determination to avenge the Asgardian troops and get rid of the Jotunns.

"Let's camp here tonight and tend to the injured ones. We'll discuss plans in my tent in an hour. I have a conversation to finish with my brother…" he grumbled, already taking a step forward to follow Loki.

The Warriors Three and Orvar observed him in silence before they started giving orders to the shaken troops.

Sif bit her lower lip before running after Thor, catching up with him quickly. He glanced over his shoulder at hearing footsteps behind him but didn't say a word. The maiden warrior stared at him a long moment before speaking up:

"Did he say anything?" she asked, knowing Thor would understand perfectly.

Thor glanced at her before turning his head straight ahead, but his eyes were staring at the dusty ground.

"No…"

Sif remained silent a moment before speeding up to be by his side.

"The first thing that worried him upon waking up was talking to you and the All Father – to warn us all about what he has learned. But I'm sure he learned much more about this war. He didn't have time to tell us everything he knows and surely, it'll be more than useful for us all."

The Crown Prince showed a small smile, a little tense before glancing at his friend.

"You didn't follow me only to share with me what I already knew?" he asked, his voice gentler.

"You know me so well, I can't hide my intentions from you," she replied with a knowing smile.

She dropped her smile and their expressions darkened.

"Thor… Loki is… he had been hidden from Heimdall during the entirety of his mission. We barely know what happened to him. You found him injured in the woods. _Poisoned_ , after having attacked someone with an enormous quantity of seiðr… I don't know what happened to him but…"

Her voice trailed off and she looked down. She never cared much for the second prince, but they had fought together many times, they probably were friends. And Thor loved him so much, it was hard not to smile thinking about the two brothers…

Thor put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it lightly and reassuringly, making the young lady look up at him. He smiled tenderly, a beautiful smile he was showing for her and her only…

"Thank you for your concern, Lady Sif…" he murmured, his hand staying too long on her shoulder to be completely platonic.

Her heart missed a beat, warmth spreading through her entire body as he turned around. She grabbed his muscular arm before he could leave and he looked back at her, lips parting in surprise; she looked as shocked as him at her sudden move.

"Thor– I'm not sure the Loki we have with us now is the same who parted to Jotunheim two weeks ago…" Sif murmured before realizing that Loki _wasn't_ the same.

It scared her how they had all figured it out but _none_ had wanted to face the truth. None had tried to find out what _exactly_ had happened to Loki, and considering the state he was in, it was _terrifying_ …

Thor smiled, a bright, confident smile that took her breath away.

"He's my brother," he said with a strong voice.

He left her then and Sif was left alone with her worries and thoughts. She turned around, looking down at the injured men. The sun was slowly setting, bathing the entire landscape in shades of gold and red. A pyre was being built, and down the blood-covered cliffs the bodies of dead Asgardians killed in the Battle of the Red Cliffs were aligned, waiting to be set on fire. More flames to add to this burning war.

* * *

_I don't know if next chapter will be next week or not, I'm starting a new fanfiction and I might publish a chapter every two weeks. :)_

_NEXT CHAPTER : THE SON OF ODIN_

_Yours Truly,_

_May_


End file.
